Leslie Perks and the Isle of the Black Fog
by all4jesus84
Summary: Leslie Perks is entering her third year at Hogwarts. Leslie must learn what true friendship is, as she faces new dangers when a mysterious Black Fog plagues the wizarding world. Continuation of Leslie Perks series.
1. Diagon Alley

A young girl pressed her nose up against the dark window of an old, dusty shop on a corner in Diagon Alley. Her curious eyes lit up as she gazed upon the magical possessions beyond the glass, moving around in a way she was still growing accustomed to, having only been introduced to the magical world a little over two years ago. She had her sights fixed upon something called a _Proteo_ _Pet_, which appeared to be a small stuffed animal that shifted its shape into whatever animal you asked it to. Leslie smiled as a young witch approached it and whispered something into its ear, as the stuffed kitten became a stuffed elephant, with beady eyes starring up into the little girl's smiling face. _I love magic._ The girl with her nose pressed against the window thought.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, Leslie, we can't stop to look in _every_ window. We have shopping to do." Leslie Perks' best friend, Hermione Granger said as she approached Leslie from behind. Leslie turned from the window and nodded.

"I know, I know. School supplies, right. Still, even after being to Diagon Alley twice, there's always something new that amazes me." She admitted, blushing slightly. Hermione smiled.

"Anyway, mum and dad said they'll meet us back at Flourish and Blotts when we're done. They're taking care of our textbooks, but we still need to buy new cauldrons, because Professor Snape's _Aduro_ potion last year burnt a hole clean through the bottoms of our old ones." She said, checking her list. Leslie shuddered.

"I can't stand that bloke." She pointed out.

"We also need," Hermione continued, ignoring Leslie's comment, "new quills and ink. I guess that's it, oh, and we need to buy new robes as well." Leslie smiled to herself.

"I still can't believe we've outgrown our old ones already." She said as the two girls walked down the alley way, weaving their way through the crowd.

"Well, it _has_ been two years - it was bound to happen sooner or later." Hermione paused. "I wonder if Harry and Ron have grown much this summer."

"I don't know, but I hope they haven't too much. I mean, we only last saw them a month ago, and we'll be seeing them again in a couple of days. It's exciting, isn't it? Being able to spend the last month of the summer with the boys?" Leslie asked, pausing to stare into another shop's window.

"Yes, it really was rather kind of Mrs. Weasley to invite us to the Burrow for the rest of the summer." Hermione replied, grabbing hold of Leslie's T-shirt, pulling her away from the window. Leslie followed suit.

"I'm just glad Harry was able to get away from the Dursleys easily this year." She replied, remembering the trouble she had endured the year before when she took her broomstick and fled from Hermione's house to rescue Harry from his horrible aunt and uncle who were keeping him locked in his room, forbidding him to return to Hogwarts, where he belonged. Luckily, Leslie was able to escape expulsion from Hogwarts, but Professor Dumbledore, their headmaster, had written the Dursleys this year, cautioning them against keeping Harry from Hogwarts again, so there had been no problems when Harry had told his aunt and uncle he was spending the month of August with Ron at the Burrow.

"I am too. I don't know if mum and dad would be thrilled at the idea of you sneaking out again on a broomstick." Hermione replied, turning a corner. Leslie smiled to herself, still amazed at how much Hermione's parents treated her as though she were their own. Summer holidays were so much fun for Leslie - she got to spend them with her best friend Hermione and her parents, as Leslie's own parents had been killed during Leslie's first year at Hogwarts.

"I expect my grandmother wouldn't either. I'm surprised she didn't take my broomstick away from me last year. She nearly did, you know." She replied. The reason Leslie didn't spend her summer vacations with her grandmother was because her grandmother was Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. Leslie discovered this secret during her first year at the magical school. McGonagall spent her summer holidays preparing for the new year at Hogwarts, and informed Leslie of how dull it would be for the poor girl to endure an empty school all summer while McGonagall would not be able to give her the attention she deserved, so Leslie was able to spend her summer holidays with Hermione, which suited the girls just fine.

The only students who knew Leslie was Professor McGonagall's granddaughter, were her three best friends, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Professor McGonagall had thought it best to keep it that way, as Leslie was still a student at Hogwarts. Leslie still referred to her grandmother as Professor McGonagall, even in secret. It was simply a habit that had not been broken.

"Whizbees, Professor McGonagall sent me too many Galleons, I think," Leslie pointed out, as they emerged from Madam Malkim's Robes For All Occasions half an hour later, their new robes packaged nicely, "I still have so much left over, and I only need to buy a cauldron since I gave your parents enough for my schoolbooks."

"I'm sure she was just being cautious," Hermione pointed out as they turned a corner, "She's at Hogwarts all year round, how is she to know if prices have gone up or not?" Leslie hadn't thought about that, and reasoned it was a good point. She placed the remaining gold back in her bag and followed Hermione down toward The Cauldron Shop. As they strolled down the busy street, Leslie stopped when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Hermione realized a few steps ahead that Leslie had stopped, and she turned promptly to see Leslie staring at a magazine rack. Hermione approached her carefully.

"What's the matter Leslie?" Hermione turned and saw the photograph of a young boy on the front page of the _Witch Weekly_, a young boy who Hermione recognized immediately.

"Leslie..." Hermione started, but Leslie shook her head.

"Why now?" She muttered. On the front page of the magazine was the picture of Christopher Kedavra, the young boy she had befriended at school this past year, who had died, just as his cursed name predicted he would, because one Death Eater was determined to prove his loyalties to the Dark Lord.

It wasn't just the photograph of Christopher that stirred the memories inside her, but the headline that went along with it. _Christopher Kedavra - A Boy To Be Remembered. Memorial on page 26._ Leslie very nearly opened up the magazine, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Christopher had been her friend, a boy who understand what her life had been like before Hogwarts. No friends, no support. Leslie missed him terribly - he never should have died the way he had.

"He's been dead for over two months. Why bring it up now?" Leslie asked with a hint of bitterness in her voice as she walked away from the magazine stand. She could still recall very vividly the day she watched as Dumbledore transported Christopher out of the Great Hall to the hospital wing, only a day before he died. She still remembered sitting by his bedside, vowing she would do everything she could to bring the killer to justice. Now, Christopher was dead, and the person responsible was still free. Even though Leslie and her friends knew who had been responsible for the Venom of Trog, there was no proof, except the word of four 12-year-old witches and wizards - which didn't go very far at all.

"Perhaps they were trying to keep the Venom of Trog situation under wraps. After all, people are bound to be wondering why the Ministry hasn't sorted out the truth yet." Hermione explained, as they entered the Cauldron Shop. Leslie shook her head - Lucius Malfoy, the man responsible, the man who had placed the Imperius Curse on a friend of Leslie's for nearly the whole year, sending her to slip the Venom of Trog in drinks, was walking around free somewhere, when he deserved to be in Azkaban. The injustice of it made Leslie's skin crawl. Because of him, her friend Tenille would never again show her face at Hogwarts.

Leslie chose not to speak of Christopher, or Mr. Malfoy again. She listened half-heartedly as Hermione read off their school list as to what cauldrons were appropriate, and which weren't. Leslie was satisfied with a size 5 pewter cauldron, explaining she didn't want to spend a fortune on a cauldron Snape would probably have them burn right through again.

Leslie and Hermione met Mr. and Mrs. Granger at Flourish and Blotts like they said they would, and as the four of them walked down the alleyway to return to London's Muggle streets, Leslie asked Mrs. Granger if she could take a peek inside their book bags to see what their new books were like.

"_The Do's and Don't's of Divination."_ Leslie read the title off an older looking, purple textbook, with images of suns and moons smothering the cover. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What a useless subject. It's all a load of rubbish, if you ask me. Especially because that old bird, Professor Trelawney teaches it." She spat.

"Hermione Granger, you know better than to call people names, _especially_ your elders." Mrs. Granger raised an eyebrow at her daughter and went on talking to Mr. Granger. Leslie and Hermione shared a laugh. Leslie didn't know much about Professor Trelawney; only that she chose to live in her attic classroom, and never came down for any meals, or even feasts. Apparently, she claimed her Inner Eye worked best from a higher vantage point.

"I can't wait to take Muggle Studies. I've waited for it for two years now! I expect it will be an easy class, I mean I've lived like a Muggle for 11 years of my life." Leslie said as she stared at her new copy of _Muggles Made Easy_. "Who d'you suppose will be teaching it this year? Professor Goeffrey retired last term, I heard." Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know, but I hope it's someone interesting. I heard Professor Goeffrey put some of his students to sleep last year." She replied as the four of them approached the brick wall that would lead them out of Diagon Alley. As Hermione continued to complain about the former Muggle studies professor, out of earshot from her parents, Leslie caught sight of a colorful poster. She immediately tuned Hermione out as she stopped in front of the captivating poster. The three Grangers continued walking for another few steps before they realized they were missing a body.

"Fred and George even told me Professor Goeffrey was starting to lose his wits near the end - asked the class what a Muggle was - Leslie?" Hermione turned and saw Leslie staring at a poster, wide-eyed and gaping. Hermione ran to join her as Mr. and Mrs. Granger waited by the exit of Diagon Alley. Hermione immediately saw what caught Leslie's eye.

MALIGUTI'S MAGICAL AMUSEMENT PARK

NOW OPEN

HELD AT THE SHELBING FIELD

THE WHOLE MONTH OF AUGUST

COME FOR A MAGICALLY MAGNIFICENT TIME

"A _magical_ amusement park?" Leslie asked in awe as she stared at the cartoon fireworks flashing on the colorful poster.

"Oh yeah, it opens around this time every year. The rides there are charmed in so many different ways. I've only been once, but it was absolutely brilliant." Hermione replied.

"I love amusement parks. I can't even begin to imagine what a _magical_ amusement park would be like."

"Hermione, Leslie, come on girls, I still have to wash all your new robes so you'll be ready for the Burrow in a couple of days." Mrs. Granger called as she checked her wristwatch. Leslie sighed, and with a final smile at the poster, followed Hermione and her parents out of Diagon Alley and back into the Muggle world.


	2. To The Burrow

"Honestly girls, your dad and I don't mind _driving_ you to the Burrow. I'm sure it's a lot...safer...than this way." Mrs. Granger tried to reason as Leslie and Hermione, with their trunks packed and ready to go, were ready to embark on their journey to Ron's house.

"Traveling by the Floo network is perfectly safe, mum. Witches and wizards do it all the time. Besides, driving would just be pointless. The Burrow is nearly impossible to find - it's out in the middle of nowhere." Hermione explained.

"Besides, _we've_ never been before. Traveling this way, we'll get there for sure, without any chance of getting lost." Leslie added. Mrs. Granger didn't seem convinced as she stared warily into the empty fireplace.

"And it wouldn't be fair if we didn't travel by Floo. Ron's already sent us the Floo Powder. He sent Percy's old owl, Errol, who was terribly exhausted from his flight. It wouldn't be fair to old Errol if he flew all the way out here for nothing." Hermione pointed out, holding out the small bag full of powder. Mrs. Granger sighed.

"Well then, are you sure you know what you are doing?" Mr. Granger asked, as he stood from his leather armchair and poked his head inside the fireplace, glancing around. Leslie stifled a giggle.

"I've read all about the Floo network. I've never done it before, but it's meant to be very easy, as long as you say very clearly where you want to go." Hermione replied as she picked up a striped cat that was weaving its way around her ankles. "By the way, thanks for the cat, mum and dad." Just this morning, Mr. and Mrs. Granger brought out a small box for Hermione as a "going back to school" gift. A new cat, whom Hermione named Crookshanks. He and Leslie's cat, Jinxie were still growing accustomed to each other's company, and Leslie hoped them having to share the same common room for the year would help.

"Well, we should probably head off, or we're going to be late." Hermione said finally as she nodded at Leslie. Leslie smiled nervously as Hermione gave her mum and dad a quick hug and a kiss.

"You mind yourself for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and have a good term. We'll see you at Christmas then. Mind you stay out of trouble this year." Mrs. Granger said with raised eyebrows. Leslie tried not to grin. True, the four friends had definitely found themselves a few adventures over the last two years at Hogwarts - ones that had them breaking the rules more than once.

"Bye mum, bye dad." Hermione smiled as she dragged her trunk into the fireplace, bending her head so she wouldn't bump it on the mantel. She took a handful of the Floo Powder with her free hand, while still holding a struggling Crookshanks in the other, and Leslie took the bag of powder.

"Alright Leslie, watch closely, because you'll have to do the same thing." Hermione said. Leslie nodded as she watched.

"The Burrow!" Hermione yelled out and threw the handful of powder down on the fireplace, as bright green flames engulfed her, Crookshanks and her trunk. Leslie turned away to shield her eyes, and when she turned back, Hermione was gone. Leslie breathed out and noticed the look of fear on Mrs. Granger's face.

"It's alright, Mrs. Granger. That's supposed to happen." Leslie said quickly, seeing a look of relief wash over Mrs. Granger's face immediately. It didn't do much for Leslie's nerves though - how must it feel to be surrounded by fire?

"Well, thank you again for everything this summer. I had a great time." Leslie said as she gently picked up Jinxie from the couch where she was taking a nap. Mrs. Granger leaned down and gave Leslie a kiss on the forehead.

"You'll come for Christmas with Hermione, won't you?" She asked. Leslie smiled.

"I would love to." She said truthfully - nothing gave her greater pleasure than to have a place to go for the holidays. Her memories of Christmases with her own parents were never enjoyable ones.

"Well, I should probably go." Leslie swallowed hard as she grabbed her trunk's handle. Mrs. Granger put her hand over hers.

"Wait just a moment there Leslie. We haven't given you your birthday gift yet." She said. Leslie puckered her brow.

"But my birthday isn't until the end of August. That's still ages away." She tried to reason. Mr. Granger shrugged.

"But we won't be there, will we my dear?" He asked with a wink. Leslie smiled a little as Mrs. Granger handed Leslie a purple envelope. Leslie took it curiously and began to tear it open. She saw a golden border around what looked like a ticket from inside the envelope. She tore the rest of the envelope away to reveal a set of four tickets, each glowing a bright purple, with a gold border, and familiar fireworks surrounding the words:

Free Admission to Maliguti's Magical Amusement Park

All Day Pass

Redeemable for month of August

Leslie nearly shrieked.

"Tickets to Maliguti's?" She asked, as she stared at the tickets unbelievably.

"Yes, four of them, so you can go with Harry, Ron and Hermione before you go back to school. Hermione spoke to me yesterday and said you seemed quite interested in the place, so I spoke to Mr. Weasley already by owl, and he told me you would be able to get there quite easily, by means of what he called a, erm...Kortpey?" Mrs. Granger explained. Leslie giggled a little. She knew Mrs. Granger was talking about Portkey, another means of transportation for witches and wizards.

"That's great! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you _so_ much!" Leslie threw her arms around Mrs. Granger tightly, squeezing her tickets tightly in her fist. Mrs. Granger laughed a little.

"You're quite welcome, I do hope you have fun. Please be sure and be careful on those rides - especially if they're magical. You never know what could happen." She warned. Leslie nodded seriously - Mrs. Granger had never been overly thrilled at the idea of magic, and was still apprehensive about some of the ways of the wizarding world.

"I promise I'll be careful." Leslie smiled as she stuffed the tickets in her robe pocket.

"Right then, you'd best be off before Hermione thinks you've ended up in the wrong firepit somewhere." Mrs. Granger gave Leslie another kiss as Leslie ducked her way into the fireplace with her trunk, grabbing a handful of Floo powder with her free hand, with Jinxie still squirming around in her other arm.

"Goodbye then." Leslie called out.

"See you at Christmas, dear." Mr. Granger waved.

"Have fun sweetheart." Mrs. Granger smiled. Leslie said goodbye once more, before shouting "The Burrow" and dropping the Floo Powder roughly to the ground.

It was a sensation she had never felt before. Everything turned a funny shade of green, and it felt as though she were sliding down an incredibly fast slide, with all sorts of turns and bumps and all she could hear was the sound of fire crackling all around her, yet it didn't feel hot at all. Actually, she felt somewhat cool.

Leslie landed roughly on a hard surface, as a pile of smoky soot rose around her, and she let out a cough. She realized she was covered in ashes. Jinxie clawed her way out of Leslie's grasp and ran away to clean herself, as Leslie groaned.

"Finally, you made it!" Leslie heard Hermione's voice yell out. Leslie was still adjusting her eyes to see through the pile of smoke. She saw Hermione, who was also covered in black soot, and suddenly she didn't feel so foolish.

"Excellent, so I didn't do it wrong, then." Leslie commented, as Hermione helped her off the Weasley's kitchen floor.

"No, but Heavens, you're late. I thought you were right behind me. What took you so long?" Hermione asked. Before Hermione could ask any further, she was lost in Leslie's tight squeeze of a hug.

"Thank you so much for telling your parents I wanted to go to Maliguti's Magical Amusement Park! Did you know they gave me _four_ tickets so we can all go before school starts?" Leslie asked excitedly as she finally let go of Hermione. Hermione laughed.

"Of course I knew, it was _my_ idea, after all." She stated. Leslie grinned as the cloud of soot began to disappear slowly, and she nearly screamed out loud when she saw two familiar figures emerging from the smoke.

"Ron! Harry!" She cried as she threw her arms around each in turn, covering them in black soot.

"Er, hi Leslie." Ron replied awkwardly patting her on the back. Leslie turned to Harry and breathed out quickly.

"Harry I'm so glad you were able to make it. I was hoping you wouldn't need rescuing again this summer." She said, remembering the previous year's close call of expulsion she had experienced because she saved Harry from the Dursleys.

"I probably would have if Dumbledore hadn't warned the Dursleys against keeping me locked up this summer." Harry replied, obviously quite glad to be away from that horrid house on Privet Drive. "By the way, thanks for the birthday present you and Hermione sent me." Harry looked over and saw that Ron and Hermione were already arguing about something, so Harry lowered his voice to a whisper.

"And thanks for convincing Hermione not to buy me another book." He whispered. Leslie stifled a giggle.

"I won't say it was easy, Harry. She was determined to buy you some thick book on wizarding history or something, but I was able to convince her you'd probably enjoy the wizarding chess set more." She replied. "I thought you might enjoy something that had to do with Quidditch, but we couldn't find anything interesting."

"Speaking of Quidditch, Leslie, have you given any thought to trying out for the team this year?" Harry asked suddenly, causing Leslie's stomach to lurch slightly.

"Try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Oh Harry, I hadn't-"

"Come on Leslie, you'd be great! Alicia Spinnet has already resigned from Quidditch for this year; she wants to spend more time studying now that she's in her higher years, the team needs a new Chaser, and you would be _perfect!_ I know you would be, I've seen you play." Harry said excitedly. Leslie swallowed hard. It was true, she did enjoy playing Quidditch, and Harry and Ron both had told her in the past she would make a good Chaser, but she hadn't given it any thought.

"Harry, I don't think I could do it. I mean, I love to play Quidditch, but I don't know if I could actually be on a team. I mean, I've only been flying since last year, and I've barely flown it at all during second year; mostly because McGonagall was still sour about my rescuing you. I don't know Harry, I'm not sure I could-"

"Leslie, you've got to at least try. I mean, we've still got a month before we go back to Hogwarts, I could help you practice. Ron's got a great big backyard - we've already been playing Quidditch out there with Ginny, Fred and George. It would give us lots of space to practice and get you feeling comfortable with playing Chaser. Come on Leslie!" Harry exclaimed. Leslie sighed.

"Look, I don't know." She replied.

"Why don't we go right now, and play some Quidditch? Then you can decide." Harry said. The thought of playing Quidditch with Harry caused her to smile and she agreed wholeheartedly, forgetting all about the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Are you guys coming?" Harry called over to Ron and Hermione, who had finally stopped their yelling.

"Quidditch? Nah, I'm all Quidditch-ed out, mate. I'm tired of you kicking my butt." Ron replied.

"I think I'll pass as well. I'll start to unpack. Oh but Leslie, you can't go out playing like that." Hermione said as she pointed to Leslie's robes that had been blackened by soot. Hermione pulled out a wand and pointed it at Leslie. "_Abluo Talaris."_ Leslie watched as the black soot immediately disappeared from her robes and clothes. She smiled, and took her robe off immediately, ready for a game of Quidditch.

"Ooh, wait Harry. I almost forgot!" Leslie opened her trunk and pulled out her wand. "_Accio Chaser gloves."_ Immediately, the pair of Chaser gloves Harry had bought her for Christmas the year before jumped out of the trunk and into her grasp.

"I can't play Chaser without these, can I?" She asked as she grabbed her broomstick with her free hand. Harry smiled.

"I guess not." He began to run for the door. "Come on Leslie, let's go!"

* * *

"Leslie, when you're flying on a broomstick, you have to lean down really close to your broomstick. It helps you pick up speed." Harry said half an hour later as the two friends were flying around in Ron's backyard on their broomsticks. Harry had already helped Leslie work on her tossing the Quaffle, catching it, making goals, and they even had time to work on Leslie's landings, and now Leslie could land her broomstick at least a few feet closer to her target than the year before. At least there was _some_ improvement.

"Like this, Harry?" Leslie clung to her broomstick as she bent herself down so she was parallel with her broom.

"That's it! Now try flying that way. Don't get nervous, the first time is always a shock." Harry said. Leslie breathed out slowly as she leaned forward. She nearly screamed out as she felt as though she were going double the speed she was used to! But it didn't take long before she was able to gain some control over where she was headed. The feeling wasn't nearly as bad once she grew accustomed to it.

"That's great Leslie! I think you flew faster than Alicia Spinnet ever could." Harry exclaimed once Leslie slowed her broomstick down to stop in front of Harry. She drew a quick breath.

"You're just saying that." Leslie said as she began to lower her broom. Harry followed and reached the ground first (Leslie attempted to land beside him, but still ended up a couple of feet away).

"No, I'm not. Honestly Leslie, you're doing really well. I don't see why Oliver _wouldn't_ let you on the team this year." Harry said as he sat down under the Weasley's rather large Oak tree, and set his broom down.

"Oh I don't know, Harry." Leslie replied, as she joined him. "I've never been one to play sports, even _before_ Hogwarts. How do I know I can really measure up to the rest of you? Let's face it, I'd be the youngest on the team."

"Come on Leslie, you're only a month younger than I am." Harry smiled.

"Still, I don't know." Leslie sighed as she fingered her broomstick dreamily. The truth was, she really _did_ want to play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team; she had always enjoyed watching Harry and his teammates play, but the first time she had ever played Quidditch increased her desire for the game. She smiled to herself as she imagined herself scoring her first goal on Slytherin's net, followed by a loud cheer from the Gryffindor stands...

"Leslie, I've been wanting to ask you something." Harry's voice interrupted her train of thought, and she looked up to see him looking at her seriously.

"I wanted to write you, but I wasn't sure if I should. Especially since...since it seems as though it just happened. I didn't want to hurt you." He added, picking at the grass. Leslie puckered her brow.

"Hurt me? About what, Harry?" She asked.

"Well, I just...I know you and Christopher were friends. I just...wanted to know if you were, you know, okay and everything." Harry replied. Leslie stared at Harry, one of her best friends, and couldn't help but feel nothing but the utmost admiration for him. He truly did care about her, just like Hermione and Ron did. It brought her nothing but the greatest feeling of joy to have such wonderful friends.

"Thanks Harry." Leslie sighed. "I miss Christopher a lot, but what _really_ irritates me is that the man who is responsible for his death is walking free and we can't prove anything, because nobody will believe the voice of a bunch of kids!" Harry nodded.

"I know. I still can't believe Malfoy's father put an Imperius Curse on Tenille." He said.

"Yeah and thanks to him, I'll probably never see Tenille again. Now that she's going to Beaubaxtons. I can't really say I blame her either. I wouldn't want to come back to Hogwarts after all that." Leslie paused. "I really can't wait to go back to school, but honestly, I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep myself from hexing Draco Malfoy this year!" Harry stifled a laugh.

"Come on in everyone! Dinner's ready!" Leslie heard a distant voice yell from the Weasley's back porch. Leslie squinted to see who it was, but could only make out a small figure in the distance.

"Who's that?" Leslie asked.

"Oh, that's Mrs. Weasley." Harry replied as he stood up and helped Leslie up. "She makes _great_ food - even better than the food at Hogwarts." Leslie's eyes widened as she tried to imagine better food than Hogwarts, but she couldn't.

* * *

It wasn't long before she had to agree with Harry - Mrs. Weasley's home cooking was the best she had ever tasted!

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley, it's all so great!" Leslie exclaimed as she helped herself to another heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes, passing the bowl along to Percy.

"Oh why thank you dear. You eat up as much as you want, Leslie." Mrs. Weasley said as casually grabbed hold of Leslie's arms one by one, rolling up her sleeves. Leslie looked at Harry, who tried holding back a laugh, and ended up choking on his dinner roll. Ron thumped him on the back as Mrs. Weasley left the room to check on dessert.

"Don't mind mum, Leslie. She tends to fuss over the smallest things. Bit annoying, really." Ron said as Harry cleared his throat.

"She does it to me all the time." He said. Leslie smiled as she continued eating her food, probably a little too fast, but she couldn't help herself.

"By the way," Leslie said as she swallowed a mouthful of chicken, "Has anyone seen Jinxie?"

"Yeah, her and Crookshanks ran outside right after you and Harry came in. They're chasing the gnomes." Hermione replied. Leslie smiled.

"Great, well I won't see my cat for the rest of the summer holidays then. She'll be having too much fun." She pointed out as Mrs. Weasley returned with a gigantic fudge brownie cake, and set it in the middle of the table. Leslie's eyes widened as she stared at the wonder of chocolate in front of her.

"Go ahead, dears, tuck in!" Mrs. Weasley said in a cheerful voice. Leslie wasn't even sure who grabbed the first piece.


	3. An Unexpected Visitor

"Fred! George!" Leslie whined as she stared at the slimy green goo that was now blanketing her from head to toe. She groaned attempting to finger it out of her pigtails, as Fred and George ran past her, laughing.

"Sorry Leslie." Fred said as he casually shrugged his shoulders.

"You've just got to be more careful!" George exclaimed as the twins ran up the stairs, cackling the whole way. Leslie exhaled loudly as she fished out her wand from her pocket, that was equally covered in slime.

"_Detergeo."_ She muttered as she pointed the wand at herself. Instantly, she felt the slime shrinking away until she was clean once again. She shuddered as Ron, Harry and Hermione came running into the foyer.

"What happened? We heard you yelling." Hermione said as she looked around for some reasonable explanation of what had happened.

"Fred and George decided they'd pull another one of their pranks on me!" Leslie exclaimed bitterly as she swore she could still feel the slime dripping down her neck. Leslie and Hermione had been at the Burrow a week now, and Fred and George had officially 'adopted' Leslie as their victim for their constant practical jokes. The worst so far had been when Leslie walked into their booby trap of firecrackers that set off as soon as she entered the room. She was convinced she had never screamed as loud as she had that day.

"Don't mind them, Leslie. They always do that when there's a new face around. Let's face it, you just don't expect it like the rest of us do." Ron explained.

"Yeah they got me a couple of times before you and Hermione showed up last week." Harry added.

"Fine, but why _me?_ Hermione's only been here a week as well! Why can't they gang up on _her?_" Leslie asked irritably. Ron shrugged.

"They probably will once they get tired of pranking on you, but let's face it Leslie, you're easily fooled." He replied. Leslie threatened to kick him in the shin as he ran for the backyard.

"Come on then, we might as well go outside as well. Maybe we can kick a couple of gnomes while we're out there." Harry said as he headed for the back door. Leslie was in complete agreement.

"Anywhere that's not where Fred and George can target me." She said as she and Hermione followed Harry outside. Still, even with Fred and George constantly joking on Leslie, she was still very much enjoying her time at the Burrow with her friends and the Weasley family. Over the last week, Leslie had spent a considerable amount of time in the backyard with Harry, learning more and more about how to play Quidditch, and how to properly fly a broomstick. Leslie already felt as though she were improving quite a bit, but she was still having a difficult time with her landings, no matter _how_ many times Harry showed her how it was done. Still, Harry had convinced her landings didn't matter in Quidditch, as the entire game was played in the air.

Leslie also enjoyed being in a place where she could actually _perform_ magic. In the Muggle world, magic for underaged wizards and witches was strictly prohibited, but Leslie learned, upon coming to the Burrow, that underaged magic was acceptable in places where there were absolutely no Muggles. Leslie loved being able to do magic again, she had missed it greatly, and couldn't wait to return to Hogwarts to learn new spells and charms.

"Hermione! Leslie! Will you get those bloody cats of yours under control?" Leslie heard Ron shouting as soon as she stepped outside with Hermione and Harry.

"Ronald, what are you on about?" Hermione asked as she rolled her eyes. Leslie sighed. Ron and Hermione had never been ones who were great at getting along.

"Your stupid cats have been chasing Scabbers around the yard all morning. This rat has been in my family for twelve years, he's _not_ young, you know. I'm sure his rat heart can't handle this stress, so keep your cats in line!" Ron yelled as he held his rat close to his body, with Jinxie and Crookshanks sitting at his heels, staring up at their prey. Leslie tried not to laugh.

"Well, _Ronald_, your rat is supposed to be in a cage, isn't he? If you would keep a better eye on your pet, Crookshanks and Jinxie wouldn't have started chasing him, now would they?" Hermione snapped. Ron didn't seem to have anything more to say, as he turned a little pink and stormed off into the house, as Jinxie and Crookshanks followed him in a stalking manner. Harry sighed.

"It's a good thing I have an owl," He said, "At least she's _smart."_ He regretted it immediately, as Hermione and Leslie took off after him, shaking their fists high.

* * *

"Wow! That one nearly went over the fence!" Ron exclaimed as he shielded his eyes from the sun to see where Harry's gnome had flown.

"Yeah Harry, great kick." Leslie added. After Ron had placed his rat safely back inside, and the girls had gotten tired of chasing Harry, the foursome called a truce and decided to kick some gnomes. Hermione watched, as she thought it was a cruel thing to be doing to such 'cute creatures.'

"Cute? _Cute?_ Hermione, do you know what those gnomes do to our _carrots?_ Honestly." Ron commented as he kicked a gnome clear out of the garden. Leslie still felt quite proud of herself. Her first gnome she had kicked nearly as far as Harry's, and he had been practicing for a week before she showed up. She promised him she wouldn't rub it in.

"Leslie, look! There goes another one! It's all yours!" Harry shouted, as a tiny gnome scooted across the garden. Leslie spotted it immediately, and laughing, chased after it, with Harry and Ron hot on her trail. The three of them ran around the garden after the gnome, as Hermione sat under a tree, reading _Hogwarts: A History_ for the umpteenth time.

"Leslie dear, someone's here to see you!" Leslie heard Mrs. Weasley call from the back door. Leslie sighed to herself as she stopped and watched the gnome run away further into the garden. Leslie finally turned to see that Professor McGonagall was standing beside Mrs. Weasley by the back door. Leslie's eyes widened as she swallowed hard. She had always tried so hard to act grown-up around her grandmother, so as to please her, and here she was, and Leslie was running around the yard chasing garden gnomes. Blushing, she approached her grandmother with a meek smile.

"Hello Professor. You're doing well, I expect?" She asked as she clasped her hands behind her back. Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Yes Leslie, I am doing well, thank you." She looked around the back yard. "And you are behaving yourself, am I correct?" Leslie nodded quickly.

"Well, I must admit, that is _good_ news. I was greatly hoping not to hear about anymore runaway witches." Professor McGonagall said with a raised eyebrow. Leslie sighed. No matter how many times she had apologized for her broomstick episode the previous year, she knew that incident had been permanently etched in McGonagall's memory.

"Well, dear, I cannot stay long, but I came first and foremost to make sure you were doing well, and behaving yourself for the Weasleys, but I also came to talk to you about something I find of the utmost importance." McGonagall said as she clasped her hands in front of her, like she tended to do when she was about to discuss important matters. Leslie swallowed hard.

"Leslie, I was disappointed to see your Transfiguration report for your second year." McGonagall pointed out. Leslie puckered her brow.

"Professor, did I fail?"

"No, Leslie, you did pass, but you will have to do _much_ better than that if you expect to pass your third year of Transfiguration and continue on in that subject, which _is_ mandatary until sixth year." McGonagall replied. Leslie wanted to groan out loud. She had never been particularly fond of Transfiguration, the only thing she enjoyed about the class was that her grandmother taught it.

"I am going to suggest you take private lessons from me this year in Transfiguration. Trust me, my dear, you will _need_ them if you want to do better on your report for third year." McGonagall pointed out. Leslie lowered her head, and sulked a bit.

"I've never done sour in a class before. I've always had good marks." Leslie sighed. "I wish I was as smart as Hermione."

"Leslie, having a low mark in Transfiguration does not mean you are not intelligent. You excelled quite well in Charms and Magical History. Your highest marks were in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am quite proud of you, Leslie." McGonagall replied. Leslie frowned. _Only because I had a great teacher. Professor Wizzie probably gave everyone high marks in her class._

"Well Leslie, I must be going now, but I do expect to see you every Tuesday night in my office for Transfiguration lessons, starting the first week. I will not be seeing you again until you arrive at Hogwarts, now. I will be very busy accepting owls from first year students and preparing for everyone's return to the school, but you will receive your birthday present at the end of August by owl. Be a good girl, and I will see you on the first of September." McGonagall patted Leslie on the shoulder, and with no warning, Disapparated from the Weasley back yard. Leslie still jumped - she still wasn't used the fact that her grandmother, or any other adult witch or wizard could simply disappear and reappear at their willing.

Leslie groaned to herself as she turned to join her friends, who were waiting for her under the oak tree.

"Well? What did she want?" Ron asked.

"Ronald, she's Leslie's _grandmother!_ Isn't that reason enough for her to show up?" Hermione snapped.

"I can't believe this!" Leslie yelled out angrily, as she plopped down on the ground. "Of all the classes I would have to do badly in, it would _have_ to be the one that mattered the most to my grandmother!"

"You did badly in Transfiguration?" Hermione asked. Leslie glared at her, still hot with anger.

"Yes, Hermione. Not everyone is as smart as _you_ are!" She snapped. Hermione stared at her for a moment and looked away, and Ron and Harry exchanged significant glances. Leslie knew what they were thinking; Leslie and Hermione _never_ yelled at each other. She immediately felt angry with herself.

"Sorry Hermione. It's just, I've always had good marks _before_ Hogwarts, and I did really well first year, and according to Professor McGonagall, really well _last_ year, but I did poorly in Transfiguration. Now I have to take private lessons so I can pass third year Transfiguration." Leslie pouted as she pulled at some pieces of grass. Hermione was silent for a moment, before she spoke again.

"Well, I could help too, I mean, if you want." She said quietly. Leslie knew Hermione was trying to be careful, but she returned her offer with a smile.

"Thanks Hermione, I might just take you up on that." Leslie replied, sighing as she leaned against the tree trunk, wishing her grandmother's visit had been more of a happy one.

* * *

"Ronald Weasley, you stop that racket! I told you to be in bed an hour ago! So help me, if you do _not_ go to bed, I won't waste my time parading about in the morning trying to get lazy children out of bed to go to Maliguti's!" Molly Weasley shouted up the stairs later that evening. Leslie snickered to herself as she heard Ron's footsteps quicken. She imagined him scurrying across the floor to jump into bed. It was true, the four children were very excited about going to Maliguti's the next day, but were a little discontented when Mrs. Weasley told them to get to bed early since they would have to be up early to head out to find the Portkey that would transport them to the park. Leslie was wide awake though, as was Hermione, and obviously the boys as well. She could still see the sun peeking through Ginny's ratty curtains as she sighed out loud.

"Well, I can't sleep." Hermione finally said, breaking the silence. It was only Leslie and Hermione in the room, as Ginny was outside playing Quidditch with Fred and George.

"Me neither. Whizbees! I'll never get to sleep." Leslie complained, sitting up in her bed to face Hermione, who was already sitting up cross-legged on the bed. They sat in silence for a moment and could hear the whispers of Harry and Ron upstairs. Obviously they weren't able to get to sleep either.

"Have you ever traveled by Portkey before Hermione?" Leslie inquired in a low whisper, so Mrs. Weasley wouldn't come up to yell at them as well. Hermione shook her head.

"No, but I've-"

"Read all about them." Leslie completed her sentence, and Hermione laughed.

"Yeah." She replied. So the girls sat up for another few hours, whispering about the park, about playing Quidditch, about Hogwarts, about Transfiguration, about who their new professors would be, about Crookshanks and Jinxie chasing Scabbers, about anything they could think of to pass the time. They finally decided to turn in when Ginny came into the room quietly, so as not to wake the girls, only to find they were still awake and chatting. Ginny laughed at them as she got ready for bed and finally, as Leslie stared at the stars through a crack in the curtains, her eyes felt heavy, and she drifted off to sleep. The last thing she heard was the voices of Harry and Ron from above.


	4. Morning Mumbles

Leslie had no idea what time it was when she woke up the next morning, but she had noticed the sun had not yet risen in the sky, but the concept of going back to sleep when she was this excited was ridiculous.

Excitedly, she got herself dressed, combed her hair into pigtails, placed the four tickets to the park in her rucksack, and immediately ran over to Hermione, who was still asleep.

"Hermione, wake up!" Leslie whispered impatiently, not wanting to wake Ginny. Hermione stirred slightly and when she opened her eyes, she noticed the sun was just beginning to peek through the curtains. Hermione groaned.

"Don't you think it's a bit early?" Hermione asked. Leslie sighed and ripped the covers off of Hermione as she bolted from the room, and up the stairs to Ron's room. Without knocking, she let herself in to find both Harry and Ron fast asleep, Ron snoring loudly.

"Boys, we're going to Maliguti's today! Come _on!_ Get up!" Leslie shouted, and both boys woke with a start. Ron's face was aghast at the concept of having a _girl _in his bedroom. Leslie ran from the room, nearly tripping on the stairs as she took them two at a time back down to check on Hermione. Ron sighed as he stretched.

"Girls." He complained to Harry, who rolled his eyes in full agreement.

* * *

An hour later, Leslie was downstairs in the kitchen with Hermione, who was dressed and ready to go. Leslie liked Hermione when it came to mornings, she was brilliant at getting up without any complaints. The boys were another story.

While Mrs. Weasley was scrambling around the kitchen to get the children some breakfast before they left, she yelled out every few moments for the boys to get down here or there would be no breakfast left for them.

As Mrs. Weasley laid out a thick stack of pancakes, Leslie turned to see both Harry and Ron coming down the stairs, faces distorted as they yawned and stretched their arms. Leslie rolled her eyes as she turned to Hermione, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Boys." She complained. Hermione snorted a giggle.

The boys sat down and Ron helped himself to nearly half of the pancakes (earning him a slap on the hand from his mum), and the four children ate their breakfast excitedly.

"What d'you think it will be like?" Leslie asked Harry, her eyes sparkling in anticipation. Both Hermione and Ron had been to the park before, but Harry and Leslie, still fairly new to the wizarding world, were greatly curious about what to expect at a _magical_ amusement park.

"I dunno, but I'm sure it will be loads of great fun!" Harry replied as he shoved a mouthful of pancakes in his mouth.

"Wre've gwot tro twy dat noo wrollar croaster at Mawagurti's." Ron said with a mouth full of pancakes. Hermione, Harry and Leslie stared at him, waiting for him to swallow to try again. They were used to Ron's insistence of trying to talk while his mouth was full, assuming everyone knew what he was talking about. Leslie was sure she heard Hermione say, "honestly Ronald."

"I _said,_" Ron started, shooting a glare at Hermione, "we've got to try that new roller coaster at Maliguti's. I dunno what it's called, but they've placed an invisibility charm on it, so you can't see the track, or the cart you're in. It's supposed to feel like you're flying!" Leslie felt her heart beating faster and faster, as she urged her friends to hurry up and finish her breakfast. The more she thought and heard about the magical amusement park, the more anxious she was about reaching that Portkey.

* * *

"_Where_ do you think you lot are going?" Mrs. Weasley asked, as she stood, hands on hip, in front of the door. Leslie and her friends exchanged glances as they stopped.

"To the Portkey, Mrs. Weasley. It's almost time to go." Leslie exclaimed. Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"Typical teenagers. Do you _know_ how hot it is out there today? Why, you'd get a sunburn if you were out there for only a moment!" Mrs Weasley turned, "Especially you Ron. You know how it is for redheads." Ron's face turned a slight shade of pink.

"I'm going to place a spell on you so you can avoid coming back as red as tomatoes!" Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand. Leslie couldn't help but feel a little anxious, but Mr. Weasley came along to reassure them.

"Don't worry children, won't hurt a bit. It's just like putting on the Muggle bunslock." He replied with a wink. Leslie and Harry snickered, knowing Mr. Weasley meant 'sunblock.'

Mrs. Weasley cast the charm on each child individually, and Leslie took note of the movement of her wand, and the spell she said along with it.

"_Denfendo Solaris._" Mrs. Weasley muttered as she held her wand out toward Leslie. Leslie felt a sensation like a cool breeze sweeping over her body as Mrs. Weasley lowered her wand.

"Right, now that charm will protect you for the entire day, so you will not have to recast the spell. I expect each and every one of you to exercise caution, stick together, and be safe. Don't do anything dangerous or childish. Make sure you all stay together and don't lose each other. It is very difficult in large crowds, especially magical ones, to find lost ones. I don't want to find out that any of you have gone missing at Maliguti's. Don't eat too much junk food, I expect your parents would be less than pleased if you got a cavity at the park, Hermione. Don't go on any rides that seem dangerous. Don't dawdle on your way to the Portkey. And most importantly of all, don't forget that Mr. Weasley will be coming to pick you up tonight, after the fireworks, so keep your eyes peeled for him. He'll be coming with the Ford Angola." Mrs. Weasley took in a deep breath and released it quickly. "Right then, off you go."

Leslie was the first one out the door!

* * *

"Ron, come _on!_ You're the only one who knows where the Portkey is, but can you walk any _slower?_" Leslie asked impatiently half an hour later, as Ron, yawning, took his time.

"Your mother said no dawdling Ron." Harry mocked, as he and Hermione laughed.

"Yeah come on Ron, I want to be there when the park opens!" Leslie whined. Ron covered his mouth as he yawned widely.

"Keep your wits together, Leslie." He mumbled as he made no effort to quicken his pace. "We're almost there." Leslie swore under her breath about boys being so stupid sometimes, when finally, she saw Ron stop in the corner of her eye. He was staring up into a tree. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"We don't have _time_ to be looking at," Leslie saw what Ron had spotted, "a beehive! Honestly Ron!" She said, momentarily shocked by how much she had sounded like Hermione.

"No Leslie, that's the Portkey." Ron pointed at the beehive, and Leslie puckered her brow.

"Are you actually serious?" She asked. "Whizbees, that's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! Why on earth would they make it a beehive?" Ron looked at her incredulously.

"So the Muggles won't touch it, of course! Who in their right mind would go touching beehives?" He asked, beginning to climb the tree. "Come on, I thought you didn't want to be late." Leslie grumbled but followed Ron, Hermione and Harry up the branches of the tree. The four of them crowded uncomfortably around the Portkey, placing their hands on it, struggling so as not to fall out of the tree.

"Okay, d'you all have your hands on the beehive?" Ron asked. The three nodded, and so Ron counted down from 3, 2, 1-

Leslie felt a sensation that felt like nothing she had ever felt before. She felt as though her hand had become glued to the beehive, which had pulled her straight into the sky at a speed she couldn't hardly imagine, as the four friends spun in a circle. Leslie felt herself growing dizzy as she tried to fix her sight upon something, but everything was moving all too fast. Wind rushed through her ears as she felt her whole body being thrown around in mighty circles. After what seemed like a lifetime of nauseating dizziness, Ron yelled:

"Let go!" The cocept of letting go of the Portkey, when Leslie was sure they were miles from the ground was ridiculous, but both Hermione and Ron let go in an instant. Harry and Leslie, glancing at each other quickly (though hardly seeing each other through tightened eyes), finally let go as well.

Leslie fell hard to the ground, landing on her back, but she didn't feel any pain, just dizziness and shock. Hermione, Harry and Ron were picking themselves up off the ground as well, dusting themselves off. Leslie blinked a few times to find her bearings again, and swayed a little as she stared at the beehive that laid on the ground.

"That was absolutely horrible!" Leslie exclaimed. Ron shrugged.

"You get used to it after a while." He blushed a little. "Mind you, I still can't land on my feet. That takes a fair bit of practice." Leslie sighed.

"Right, well we made it, and we made it _alive._" She forgot the Portkey right away when she saw the flashing lights off in the distance. She knew they had made it to Shelbing's field.

They had made it to Maliguti's Magical Amusement Park.


	5. Maliguti's Magical Amusement Park

Leslie and her three friends ran up to the front gates that were glowing with purple and yellow stars sparkling in the air above the gate. Leslie pulled out her tickets right away as the ticket master, wearing bright purple wizard robes and a top hat, held out his hand at the ticket booth. No sooner had Leslie handed the wizard the four tickets, that she noticed two purple stars appearing on each of her friend's cheeks, one on each side.

"Wha-?" Leslie asked, feeling her own cheeks to feel if she had them too.

"Yeah Leslie, you have them too. Don't worry, it's just so everyone knows we've paid for the day pass. Everyone in the park has them!" Ron said as he grinned from ear to ear. Leslie shrugged to herself, amazed at what magic could do, as she thanked the ticket master, and entered the park with Hermione, Ron and Harry.

She gasped out loud when she saw the park in front of her. From first glance, it did appear like any ordinary amusement park, with roller coasters, and ferris wheels, and candy booths of all sorts, but upon closer inspection, Leslie could see magic happening all around. She saw a wizard clown in the middle of the path, creating balloon animals with his wand, and using the enlarging charm to make them as large as the small children gathering around him. She saw kids flying broomsticks all over the place, she peered into shop windows to see the amazing wizarding candy displayed beautifully, but it was the rides that caught her attention the most. With magical names such as the _Invisible Incinerator, _the _Apparator_ and the _Felix Felicitis Ferris Wheel, _Leslie could hardly wait to get started.

Ron desperately wanted to go on the _Invisible Incinerator _first, as that was the newest roller coaster he had been talking about earlier.

"I dunno how they did it, but there's an invisibility charm on it!" Ron cried, as he led the way.

"Yeah Ron, we know, you told us already." Leslie said with a giggle as he ignored her, and pushed his way through the crowd.

The lines were so short, Leslie wasn't sure if it was magic or just luck, but they only had to wait for a few moments before it was their turn on the roller coaster. As Hermione, Ron, Leslie and Harry walked up to the car of the coaster, Leslie felt somewhat disappointed. How could they have placed an invisibility charm on this roller coaster? She could see the track, _and_ the car. Thinking it was just the name of the roller coaster that was misleading, she stepped into the car with Hermione, as the boys sat in the back. Immediately, Leslie gasped. As soon as she had sat down in her seat, the car around her disappeared. She was sitting on nothing but air, it seemed, and the track in front of her was gone as well. She felt an invisible seatbelt strapping her down, and couldn't help but feel nervous when the teenage wizard running the ride, raised his wand.

"_Initium!"_ Immediately, the coaster began to move.

Leslie had been on many roller coasters in her life, but never had she been as afraid as she was as the _Invisible Incinerator _began to move. As they picked up speed, she had no concept of where they were going. The track was invisible, the car was invisible. She could see the ground below her getting further and further away as they climbed an invisible track, and then suddenly, the coaster dropped! Leslie and Hermione shrieked as the boys laughed. Unexpected loops and drops and turns kept Leslie screaming as the earth grew closer and further with each rise and drop. She felt her stomach turning inside as the coaster finally slowed down and stopped in front of that teenage wizard. He tucked his wand away. Leslie felt the invisible seatbelt releasing her, and as she stepped out of the car, she turned back and could fully see the track, _and_ the car once again. _Next time,_ she thought to herself as she held her stomach, _I'll take a look at the track _before_ I go on it, so I know what to expect._

* * *

"Blimey, that was bloody brilliant! They weren't joking, I _did_ feel like I was flying." Ron exclaimed excitedly as he and Harry laughed and laughed. Hermione was grinning a little and, now that Leslie's stomach had eased a little, she too found it fun.

"Whizbees though, I had no idea where we were going! I thought we would hit the ground or something!" Leslie cried out as the four walked toward the ice cream stand.

"Right, who wants ice cream? It's on me." Harry said generously as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of Knuts. Leslie smiled. Harry had a fortune at Gringotts his parents had left for him when they died. Harry would never have to worry about money for the rest of his life, and he was all for sharing.

When the four arrived at the ice cream stand, Leslie laughed to herself as she read the sign. "_Bertie Botts Sundaes. A Surprise with Every Spoonful."_ Leslie immediately turned to Hermione.

"Hermione, do you remember-"

"Yes I remember." Hermione said with a giggle. The first night the girls had met, as they were climbing into the boats that would lead them across the Black Lake toward Hogwarts, they had a conversation about a spell Hermione knew that could change Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean into Sundaes. Leslie had thought it was an interesting idea, and now she would have a chance to try one.

She read from the menu, making faces as flavours such as 'earthworm' or 'sardines' and finally decided upon 'bubblegum.' She watched as the witch behind the corner pressed a button and a simple pink jellybean fell into a dish. The witch pointed her wand toward it.

"_Frigustify._" Leslie watched with wide eyes as the bean melted into the bowl, becoming a scoop of pink ice cream. The witch handed Leslie a spoon and took Hermione's, Ron's and Harry's order.

The four friends sat and ate their ice cream, Hermione enjoying her 'cherry' flavour, Harry with his 'black licorice' and Ron, wanting to be different, struggling to keep down his 'boogie' flavoured ice cream.

After they had finished their ice cream (Ron didn't finish his), Hermione saw a sign for the _Animagus Maze_ and immediately turned to Leslie.

"Oh Leslie, we've got to do that! You drink a potion that transforms you into an animal that matches your personality and you go through a maze. The trick is to be strategic and try to survive. Because there are animals bigger than you that will be hunting you." Hermione said. Leslie immediately loved the idea of being transformed into an animal, wondering if she would be able to feel what her grandmother felt whenever she transfigured herself into a cat.

* * *

Leslie waited in line with Ron, Harry and Hermione at the maze, until an elderly man motioned Leslie forward when it was her turn.

"Age?" He asked.

"Er, I'm almost 13." Leslie replied. The man reached over to a shelf labeled '12 years' and pulled a potion bottle with pink liquid off the shelf.

"Drink this and walk through those doors." He said with a yawn as he motioned Harry forward.

"Age?" He asked Harry. Leslie didn't wait, she chugged the potion fast, glad it tasted decent, and she walked through the doors.

As soon as she entered the maze, she felt the strangest sensation over her body. She felt fur growing from her skin, claws emerging from her knuckles, her ears growing larger, and she was shrinking rapidly. Suddenly, she was down on all fours, and she could no longer talk.

She crawled her way through the maze a little until she came face to face with a mirror. A sound came from her mouth that she supposed would have been laughter had she had her normal voice box.

She had been transfigured into a badger.

Leslie ran her way through the maze, trying to stay hidden, knowing she would be one of the lower animals, and soon came face to face with a porcupine, who tried to shoot quills at her. It was strange, but she knew right away that it was Ron, though she couldn't figure out why.

Leslie jumped up and ran in the opposite direction as she heard the quills continuing to puncture the walls behind her. Leslie swallowed hard as she hit more dead ends, and tried to avoid larger animals she didn't recognize. She realized very fast that the only thing a badger could really do to defend itself was to hide. So she found a rock when she heard flying above her, and hid behind it.

She looked up to see an owl circling where she was and Leslie smiled to herself when she knew it was Hermione. Hermione spotted her immediately because of the owl's incredible eyesight, and landed next to Leslie the badger and motioned which way Leslie should go. Leslie thanked her as a badger would, and ran in that direction.

Leslie wasn't sure when the game would end, but she was having a fabulous time running on all fours, and pretending to survive in this imaginary game of cat and mouse, but she shrieked out in her badger tones when she came face to face with a mighty and large gray wolf!

Leslie recognized Harry right away, but she knew that part of the game was to attack the smaller prey, so she wasn't surprised when Harry jumped at her with a growl.

Leslie was immediately thrown out of the game, and had appeared suddenly outside the maze, back in her human form. She saw Ron and Hermione already standing there, talking about how great an experience that was.

"Whizbees Ron, shooting quills at me?" Leslie asked with a smile on her face.

"Hey! At least I wasn't as bad as Hermione. She swooped down on me fifty bloody times, trying to confuse me." Ron replied.

"It was _not_ fifty times." Hermione clarified. "Anyway, it didn't matter because once Harry found me, I was done for."

"Harry got me as well." Leslie added.

"Not me, I got attacked by some lion. I put a couple of quills in his face first, but he got me." Ron said.

"That was brilliant though." Leslie smiled as she saw Harry appear out of nowhere, holding a box of chocolate frogs.

"Hey! Where'd you get those?" Ron asked with wide eyes.

"Won them. I was one of the last two standing in the maze. It was me and the lion. We both won this prize." Harry replied as he grinned, handing out a chocolate frog to each of his friends. Leslie couldn't wait to see what else there was to do.

* * *

Midafternoon rolled around, and the four friends decided to sit down and take a break. They had already been on many more rides, Leslie's favourite had been the _Apparator_, a roller coaster where the cart hit a dead end and apparated to another part of the track, so when they hit the end of the track, they didn't know _where_ they would next appear. The uncertainty of what they would see next was amazing for Leslie.

The gang had already eaten all of Harry's chocolate frogs, and Leslie was holding the _Proteo Pet _she won at the Ring Toss game.

"It wasn't like any other ring toss game I've ever played," Leslie said as the four discussed their day so far, "I mean, who would have thought the sticks would change places like that?" Still, she was happy to have a _Proteo Pet_, as she asked it to transfigure itself into a wolf, and it obeyed.

"Blimey, this place is bloody brilliant! It's so much greater the second time around! I mean, I was only six when I came last, I couldn't even _do_ most of the rides." Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah it's pretty great. I love magic." Harry added. As the four friends continued to interrupt each other to talk about their favourite parts of the park, Leslie noticed Ron's face pale as he looked over her shoulder. Leslie puckered her brow.

"Ron?" She asked. Ron swallowed.

"Don't look now, but _there's_ Professor Snape. And...blimey...it's _her!_" Ron's voice squeaked as he swallowed. Leslie turned around and saw Professor Snape, their Potions master, and Professor Wizengamut, who had been their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher the year before. Leslie sighed.

"I guess the two of them are still going together, then." She pointed out.

"What _does_ she see in him? Greasy hair, crooked nose, he _hates_ Gryffindors. I thought she was in Gryffindor when she went to Hogwarts." Ron pouted. Leslie and Hermione exchanged significant looks; both of them had known since last year that Ron fancied Professor Wizzie.

"Hello children!" The four looked up to see Professor Wizzie standing beside them with a grin on her face. Leslie smiled, and looked past her to see Professor Snape sitting moodily on a bench further down the path. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"It's good to see you, Professor." Hermione said politely.

"It's good to see _all_ of you. Having a fun day?" Professor Wizzie asked. Leslie nodded.

"Yeah, it's great here! I've never been before, but I'm so glad I came." She paused. "Are _you_ having fun, Professor?" Wizzie shrugged.

"Well, _I'm_ having fun, but I'm not so sure about ol' Sevvie, er, I mean, Professor Snape." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know, I practically had to _drag_ him out. He's a bit of sourpuss sometimes, you know." Leslie and Harry stifled their giggles. _A bit of a sourpuss? That's an understatement._ She thought.

"Are you still going to be teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts this year, Professor?" Hermione asked, as Leslie, Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. Typical of Hermione to bring up school the first chance she got. Professor Wizzie shook her head.

"What? You're not coming back to Hogwarts?" Ron yelled out suddenly, as the three turned to him. He turned pink.

"No, no, dear. Of _course_ I'm coming back. You don't think I'd give up that job, do you? No, but I won't be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. Professor Dumbledore offered me a new position. You know, Defense Against the Dark Arts was just a little too dark for me. This year, I have accepted the role of Muggle Studies professor." Professor Wizzie exclaimed proudly. Leslie smiled, remembering back to her conversation with Hermione about how easy Muggle Studies was going to be, having been raised by Muggles.

"That's great, Professor. You must know a lot about Muggles, then." Leslie commented. Professor Wizzie nodded.

"Well, it can't be that difficult. I was raised by magical parents, and was never really exposed to the Muggle community, you know, but Muggles are easy creatures to understand. It should be a piece of pie." She said with a grin. Leslie exchanged a weary glance with Hermione, as Professor Wizzie turned back to see Professor Snape glowering toward the group of Gryffindors.

"Well, I'd best get back to Professor Snape before he turns into a pumpkin or something." She said as she turned back to the group of friends.

"Are you staying for the fireworks tonight?" Harry asked. Professor Wizzie shook her head.

"No, unfortunately. I've already made Severus suffer long enough, I'm sure. Besides, we've got a meeting at Hogwarts tonight, to prepare for the new year. But not to worry, I will be seeing you in just a few short weeks, and then the fun with Muggles shall begin!" Professor Wizzie flashed a great big smile. "Take care, dears." Harry, Ron, Hermione and Leslie watched as she walked back to Snape, who was still sulking. Ron sighed, muttering something about greasy, crooked noses, while Leslie turned to Harry and Hermione.

"Should be an interesting year. Do you really think she knows anything about Muggles?" She asked. Harry shrugged.

"Dunno. She's never spent any time with them. Everything she knows is probably from a book or something." He replied.

"That may or may not be good. It depends on which books she's relying on. Some authors on Muggles are very accurate, but others are completely in the wrong on Muggle theories. I just hope she's done her research." Hermione added.

Once Ron was finished complaining about Snape, the four went back to wait in line for the _Invisibility Incinerator, _Leslie ready to give it another chance.

* * *

The sun had set, and the moon rose up in the sky not long afterwards. Leslie could feel herself growing chilly, as she pulled her sweater out of her rucksack, as Ron, Harry and Hermione did the same. She stifled back a yawn as the four friends walked toward the empty field where the fireworks display was to be held. Leslie smiled to herself as she remembered the rest of her day. They had gone on the roller coasters more than once, gave the _Animagus Maze_ another go, ate lots of junk food, rode tons of new rides, and Leslie even paid for a wizard photographer to take a group shot of her and her friends. Leslie grinned to herself as she took out her picture once again, and stared at the moving images; Ron, Harry, Leslie and Hermione waving back at her, all with purple stars on their cheeks, and bags of popcorn ready to be eaten.

"Come on Leslie, hurry up. We'll miss the fireworks!" Ron exclaimed. The four friends quickened their pace as they ran toward the field, where most wizards and witches had already set up blankets, or lawn chairs for them and their families to sit.

"Oh Whizbees, I should have brought something for us to sit on." Leslie whined.

"I've already thought about it." Hermione opened up her rucksack, and brought out a small dish cloth. She pulled her wand out.

"_Engorgio!"_ She said, and the tiny dish cloth expanded until it was the size of a blanket, large enough for Ron, Harry, Leslie and Hermione to sit comfortably.

"That's great Hermione, thanks!" Leslie smiled as she made herself comfortable, placing her _Proteo Pet_ in her lap, still in the form of a wolf.

Leslie felt content, yet exhausted, but she soon found herself coming out of that state, when the first firecracker rose up in the sky. It was like nothing she had ever seen before! The fireworks were also enchanted, and each one that rose in the sky did something new, and something more magical.

A set of pink fireworks set off folk music, and soon everyone was clapping their hands, laughing.

Red fireworks broke off and rained down, turning into roses as they scattered among the audience, a few witches catching them in awe.

A set of yellow, green, blue and red fireworks flew up into the sky, each color separate, only to burst out into the Hogwarts emblems, one for Hufflepuff, one for Slytherin, one for Ravenclaw and one for Gryffindor. The shouts of kids and teenagers could be heard throughout the crowd, as they cheered on their own house.

Leslie's favourite was the burst of red, orange and yellow that flew up into the sky, and remained still. Silence echoed through the crowd as the display grew larger and larger, and then, without any warning, the fireworks transformed themselves into a large dragon, breathing fire and flying its way through the crowd. Excited screams and shrieks carried through, as the dragon swooped down and up and through the audience, witches and wizards clapping and hooting.

Leslie laid back on the blanket, watching as the rest of them got better and better, and she continued to feel drowsy, yet content. It was the best time she'd had all summer. Thoughts of Christopher, and of Lucius Malfoy were gone with the fireworks.

* * *

"It's gotta be here somewhere." Ron said, as he looked through the field for the Ford Angola. Leslie was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, as she tried to look for the car. She held her _Proteo Pet_ tightly, and could only hear the sound of distant voices. The park was closed for the night, and families were trying to find Portkeys, or their broomsticks, to go home.

"There it is!" Ron cried suddenly, and Leslie couldn't help but feel grateful.

"Hello, you all!" Mr. Weasley said excitedly, as Harry, Ron, Hermione and

Leslie all crawled into the unusually large backseat. "All had a good time, did you?" Leslie, Ron, Hermione and Harry could only nod, all feeling exhausted from a busy day, and ready for bed.

Leslie didn't even notice the car lifting off the ground, otherwise she would have made a comment about the sheer amazement of a flying car. But it was too late, for she and the others had fallen asleep within moments.


	6. Birthdays and Black Mysteries

A few days later, Leslie woke up to the bright sunlight peeking through the curtains. She stretched her arms up over her head, yawning widely as she pulled her blankets over her head. She knew what day it was, her thirteenth birthday, and that made her grin to herself. But she also knew it was August 30th, the day before the Hogwarts Express would take them back to school for another term. As excited as she was to celebrate her birthday, and to go back to school, she was _not_ looking forward to the running around that occurred the day before leaving, packing and rushing around.

She nearly felt herself drifting back to sleep when she heard tapping on the glass window above her head. She tried to ignore it as she turned over, but the tapping only got louder.

Leslie sighed to herself as she pushed the blankets away from her, blinking at the sunlight that was blinding her. Once her vision was clear, she looked over and saw Hermione's and Ginny's beds were empty. Leslie swallowed a yawn as she turned to see what the tapping was.

When she pulled back the curtain's, she saw a tawny brown owl tapping on the window with its beak, holding a parcel with its talons. Leslie smiled to herself as she unclasped the window's hinge, and opened it.

The owl flew into the bedroom and dropped the parcel on Leslie's bed, and then stared at her with beady eyes. Leslie looked around the room.

"Er, sorry, I don't have any food for you." The owl screeched angrily. "Alright, alright, Whizbees! If you fly up to Ron's bedroom window, Hedwig will share some of her food. They always keep their window open." The owl didn't look impressed, but it flew out of the window, and Leslie closed the window behind it. Owls were so temperamental, she was glad she had a kitten.

Leslie sat down on her bed, placing the parcel in her lap. She pulled off the card that was attached and began to read it.

_Dear Leslie,_

_It seems as though it were just yesterday I was able to see you for the first time since your birth when you came to Hogwarts two years ago. It has been my pleasure to watch you grow. I hope you have a very Happy Birthday, my dear, and enjoy this gift. I shall see you tomorrow._

_Sincerely, M. McGonagall. _

Leslie smiled to herself as she ripped open the parcel. She gasped out loud when she saw the set of red Chaser mitts, along with a note that said: _I expect you'll need these._ Leslie had told Professor McGonagall in her letters to her grandmother that Harry was pressuring her to try out for the Quidditch team. Leslie smiled to herself, happy her grandmother was back to sending normal gifts. After the incident last year with the broomstick, her grandmother had gone quite sour, sending her a jumper for Christmas, saying at least that would keep her out of trouble. The Chaser mitts told Leslie her grandmother was over the broomstick incident, and that was enough to make Leslie's day.

Leslie jumped off her bed and dressed quickly, running out of the room and down the stairs, wanting to tell her friends about her grandmother's gift, but when she ran into the kitchen, she was in for another surprise.

"Happy Birthday!" Nine different voices shouted all at once. Leslie smiled to herself as she saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Percy, Fred, George, Ginny, and her three friends standing under a hanging decor of red and gold balloons and streamers, with a banner that read "Happy Birthday Leslie." Leslie grinned as she entered the kitchen.

"You did all this for me?" She asked, as she observed the decorations.

"Did you think we'd forget your birthday?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, blimey, how can we ever forget, with it being the day before we go back to school." Ron replied, a little too glumly. Hermione smacked him.

"Come on then dears, come and have a spot of breakfast." Mrs. Weasley scrambled around the kitchen, preparing some breakfast as everybody found a spot at the table. Leslie immediately told her friends what Professor McGonagall had sent.

"That's great, Leslie! Oh that means she's alright with the broomstick now. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent something associated with flying at all." Hermione pointed out.

"Yeah, and now you'll just _have_ to try out for the Quidditch team." Harry said. Leslie sighed, still unsure how she felt about it, but smiled all the same.

Mrs. Weasley served toast, eggs, bacon and cereal, telling the kids they would need their strength for the busy day ahead. While Leslie ate, her friends handed over their presents for her.

Leslie unwrapped Ron's present first and nearly threw it back at him.

"What? I thought it would help!" He exclaimed as he blocked her attack. Ron's gift was a book entitled _Transfiguration a Muggle Could Understand._

"Thanks, _Ronald!_" Leslie glared at him, as Harry quickly stuck his gift under her nose to distract her.

Harry's gift was much better. It was a year's supply of chocolate frogs, one for each day.

"I figured you could keep it under your bed, so no one else will eat them. You could have one before you go to bed every night." Harry explained.

"Leslie won't have one before she goes to bed _every_ night. I don't think my parents would be too pleased with her if she comes home for Christmas with a cavity." Hermione said, but Leslie later thanked Harry, and said she would definitely have a chocolate frog a day, even if it meant sneaking them when Hermione wasn't around.

Hermione's gift was her favorite. To Leslie's surprise, it was not a book, but a bottle of nail polish that was charmed to stay on your fingernails until you performed the reversing charm. But the best part about the charmed product was the ability for the nail polish to change colors each day, to match your outfit.

"That's great Hermione, thanks." Leslie immediately opened up her bottle of nail polish and began painting her finger nails, and then painting Hermione's and Ginny's. Harry and Ron left quickly, realizing things were getting too "girly" for them.

* * *

"Leslie, for Heaven's sake, hurry up and find your school robes! I can't wash them for you if I don't have them, now can I?" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed up the narrow staircase as Leslie was frantically searching through her trunk.

"Just a minute, Mrs. Weasley, I know they're here somewhere!" Leslie called as she threw her clothes and books all over Ginny's bedroom floor. Hermione stifled a giggle as she knelt on the floor, folding Leslie's clothes as they were strewn about.

"Whizbees, why did I have to pack them at the bottom of the trunk?" She asked as she threw her Transfiguration textbook across the room. Hermione shot Leslie a glare.

"Come off of it, Hermione. Transfiguration is useless. Mind you, don't ever tell my grandmother I said that; she'd have a fit." Leslie tossed her scarf on the floor.

"You just have to have the right attitude about it. It's really not all that bad." Hermione replied as she neatly stacked Leslie's clothes in a pile, unconsciously grinning at the fact that she had already packed her trunk.

"Yes but Hermione, you don't find _any_ class useless." Leslie pointed out as she finally pulled out her school robes with a smile. She raced down the stairs with her robes in her hand, only to collide with Ron, who was holding his own robes. Leslie smiled.

"You couldn't find yours either?" She asked. Ron turned a fine shade of pink as he and Leslie found Mrs. Weasley.

* * *

"Harry, you nearly forgot your broomstick!" Leslie called as she carried her own broomstick alongside of Harry's, running through the house, nearly knocking over Mrs. Weasley's favourite vases with the two brooms. Harry came tumbling down the stairs as he grabbed his Nimbus 2000. He sighed out loud.

"What would I do without you Leslie?" He asked as he smiled with a shrug. Leslie giggled.

"Well, you'd have to send Mrs. Weasley a letter to explain and she'd send poor Errol carry your broomstick all the way to Hogwarts." She replied. Harry breathed out. She could see Harry was still tired, probably as tired as she was. It was now the morning of September the 1st, and they had been awake for nearly an hour already, as the sun was just rising in the sky. They had been scrambling around all morning, trying to remember all their last minute details before they were driven to King's Cross in London to catch the Hogwarts Express. Leslie had just grabbed her broomstick, and all she had left to do was find Jinxie, but so far, neither Hermione or Leslie could find their cats.

"They'll turn up." Harry said, as he and Leslie walked around outside, searching for any sign of orange. Leslie groaned.

"Yes and knowing my good luck, Jinxie will turn up right as we're about to leave, and then I'll make us late because I'll have to somehow get her into her traveling compartment. She hates that thing, you know." She replied, kicking a garden gnome along the way. Harry laughed.

"I'll miss it here, that's for sure." He said. Leslie smiled.

"Me too, but I am eager to start school again." She replied. Harry glanced at her sideways.

"You're starting to sound like Hermione."

"Admit it, Harry, she's a good influence on all of us." Harry shrugged, as they spotted two orange shapes off in the distance. Harry and Leslie didn't speak for the next half hour; they both spent that time chasing after Crookshanks and Jinxie all around the Weasley's backyard.

* * *

The time in between piling into the Weasley's Ford Angola and arriving at King's Cross a few hours later was a great blur to Leslie now that she was about to board the Hogwarts Express. She and her friends had just left their luggage, and were now saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as Ron struggled to hold his rat still.

"Honestly Ron, don't you have a carrying cage for him or something?" Hermione asked as she rolled her eyes.

"I forgot it at home. Besides, Scabbers could use a bit of freedom. I don't suppose your cats enjoyed being caged up very much, did they?" Ron asked. Harry groaned, as he remembered forcing Hermione's cat into its cage, and getting a nice scratch on his cheek.

"Thank you so very much, Mrs. Weasley, for having me this summer." Leslie said with a smile, as Hermione and Harry said the same.

"It was our pleasure, dears. You are welcome anytime. But I should hope that next summer, you'll be a little quicker at getting yourselves moving in the morning." Mrs. Weasley said with her lecturing tone. Leslie and Harry grinned to themselves.

"Right, well, you'd best get on the train before it leaves without you." Mr. Weasley said as he tipped his hat at the lot of them. Mrs. Weasley gave her five children hugs, and proceeded to give one to Hermione, Leslie and Harry as well.

"Enjoy your term." She said to each of them, as they began to board the train. Leslie followed behind Ron and screamed out when Ron fell backwards against her.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Leslie screamed out, jumping on one foot, since Ron stepped on her other one.

"Did you see him? Did you see Scabbers? The little bugger bit me and he's run off!" Ron said with a bit of a panic in voice.

"I don't see him anywhere." Hermione said, as she glanced around the train station. It was difficult to see anything, with so many students crowding onto the train.

"There he is!" Harry shouted, as he pointed. There was Scabbers, running from the four of them as fast as his feet could carry them, right past Mrs. Weasley.

"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, jumping forward, but Hermione caught his arm.

"No Ron, you can't. The train is leaving now!" She warned, eyeing the clock. Ron swallowed hard and looked up to see his mother glaring at him with eyes that could kill.

"Ronald Weasley!" She shouted over the crowd. "That better not have been Scabbers I saw running off just now! I'm telling you young man, that rat has been in our family for twelve years and if you've gone and lost him, I'll have your sodding hide! Do you hear me Ronald Weasley? Do you-" Ron jumped on the train quickly, leaving his mother's screams distancing off behind him. Leslie followed, trying to smile once more at Mrs. Weasley, who was still shouting at Ron, who could no longer hear her.

* * *

Once the four of them had settled into a private compartment on the train, Ron placed his head in his hands.

"Ron, it's alright, maybe Scabbers will find his way back home." Leslie tried to make her friend feel better.

"We can always get you a new rat. We get Hogsmeade trips this year, remember?" Harry asked. Ron looked up, confused.

"What are you on about? I don't care about the rat. Worthless pet, if you ask me." He said. Leslie puckered her brow.

"Then what's the matter?" She asked.

"You heard my mum! She's going to kill me! Blimey, if she still remembers by Christmas, I may not make it back for second term!" Ron replied as he seemed to be turning green. Leslie, Hermione, nor Harry said a word. They had spent nearly the whole summer with the Weasleys; they knew Ron was right. He was done for.

* * *

Leslie hardly remembered the rest of the train ride, as she had drifted off to sleep not long after Ron had stopped going on about how dreadful Christmas would be. She dreamt of garden gnomes being transfigured into Quaffles by her grandmother, who said over and over again, "_transfiguration is mandatary until sixth year_!"

Leslie awoke with a start when she felt Harry shaking her shoulder gently. She yawned and blinked her eyes, to see Hermione and Ron asleep on the other side of the compartment.

"What's the matter, Harry, are we at school?" Leslie asked, rubbing her eyes. Harry was staring out the window as he shook his head.

"Then Whizbees Harry, why'd you go and wake me up?" Leslie asked a bit moodily. Harry motioned out the window.

"D'you see that?" He asked quietly, so as not to disturb the others. Leslie puckered her brow, as she leaned over to peer out the train window.

She saw what appeared to be a large, black cloud, much darker than the rest of the clouds in the sky, and taking up more space in the sky. Only, it didn't look much like any of the other clouds. It was misty, Leslie thought it looked more like a fog than a cloud, and it didn't seem to be moving, as the other clouds were. Leslie shrugged.

"Dunno, maybe a storm is coming in." She said as she leaned back against her seat.

"Have you ever seen a storm cloud like that before Leslie?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows. Leslie sighed tiredly.

"No, but I'm not a meteorologist and neither are you Harry. Go back to sleep. We still have another hour before we get to school, and we should try to get some rest; we still have a large dinner to eat." Leslie curled up on her seat again, as the two children forgot about the fog that was beginning to thicken outside their window.


	7. Acid Pops

"Leslie, wake up, we've arrived." Hermione was shaking her best friend as the train was coming to a stop. Leslie stirred slightly and opened her eyes to see the train had stopped moving. Leslie yawned and stood up, happy she had changed into her school robes hours ago.

"Where's Harry and Ron?" Leslie asked as she stretched her arms up over her head.

"They're helping Neville find his toad. Honestly, this is the _third_ year Neville's lost Trevor on this train." Hermione replied as she and Leslie followed the rest of the students off the Hogwarts Express. "But they said if they couldn't find us, they'd meet us at the feast." Leslie laughed.

"Yeah, Ron wouldn't miss that for anything." She followed Hermione into a carriage that was empty and slammed the door behind her. As she stared out the window, she still saw that thick fog rolling across the sky off in the distance. _Maybe they're calling for a storm of sorts._ Leslie shrugged and enjoyed the ride toward her school, her home. She smiled to herself.

"D'you remember the ride to school last year Hermione?" She asked with a bit of a grin. Hermione laughed.

"You were in a right panic." She replied. Leslie shrugged.

"Yeah well I _was_ under the impression I would be expelled from Hogwarts forever." She sighed. "And I would have been if Professor McGonagall hadn't shown up in time."

"You're right. Snape would have expelled you for sure."

"Right, but we don't have to worry about that anymore. Whizbees, it feels great to come to school without any worries." Leslie leaned back with a sigh of relief as she saw her school coming in to sight.

* * *

It wasn't long until Hermione and Leslie were racing up the steps of Hogwarts to meet Professor McGonagall at the front doors, who was waiting for them patiently to lead them into the Great Hall for the feast. Leslie stood on her tiptoes to peer over the crowd, but she couldn't find Harry or Ron anywhere.

"Do you see them Hermione?" Leslie asked. Hermione shook her head.

"No, I was looking for red hair, but all I can see is Ginny. She's over there with Dean." She pointed her out. Leslie shrugged.

"Oh well, I'm sure they're here somewhere." She replied, as McGonagall began to usher the children inside out of the cold night. Leslie and Hermione followed their classmates inside, with a quick glance toward McGonagall. Leslie caught her grandmother smiling briefly at her as she controlled the crowd. Leslie smiled to herself. _Well, it's a better welcome than last year._ She thought to herself as she and Hermione filed into the Great Hall, toward the Gryffindor table.

"I still don't see them." Leslie said, as she gazed at each familiar Gryffindor student, not seeing Ron or Harry among them. Hermione shook her head.

"Honestly, I bet it's Ronald's fault." She muttered under her breath. Leslie was about to say something about how Ron would never miss the great feast if his life depended on it, but she was not in the mood to argue with Hermione.

The girls sat down near the front of the room and waited, catching up with some of their fellow classmates, as Leslie still gazed around, still seeing no sign of Ron or Harry. She was distracted momentarily when the Great Hall doors opened moments later, and a crowd of younger looking students walked nervously along the tables. Leslie smiled to herself. _First years. I missed this last year._ She thought to herself, remembering how she was nearly being expelled during the Sorting the year before.

"Is it just me, or do they look a lot smaller than we did during our first year?" Leslie asked, as she gazed curiously at the group of new students. Hermione shrugged.

"I suppose they do, although those three boys in the back look awfully tall to be...wait a minute, that's Ron, Harry and Neville!" Hermione pointed to the back of the crowd, and Leslie saw the boys walking down with the first year students quickly, trying not to attract attention as they finally made their way up to the Gryffindor table. Neville found a seat, as Ron and Harry joined the girls, who had saved them spots.

"Where in Heaven's name have you two been? We've been worried sick!" Hermione snapped. Leslie grinned to herself. Neither of them had been worried, but Leslie knew Hermione liked to scold the boys, so she kept her mouth shut.

"It's not _our_ fault. We were helping Neville find his toad." Ron complained, rubbing his arms for warmth.

"Yeah, once we got off the train, Trevor escaped from Neville's hands and hopped off. We spent so much time trying to catch him and when we finally did, the carriages had all left." Harry added.

"Lucky for us, Hagrid hadn't left with the first years yet, so we hitched a ride on the enchanted boats. That's why we're late." Ron said. Hermione and Leslie shared a laugh as Professor McGonagall motioned for the students to be silent.

Leslie watched with a smile on her face as the first years were sorted, one by one, into one of the four houses. She recalled her first year at Hogwarts, and her moment under the Sorting Hat. She remembered the terror she had felt, as Hermione, Ron and Harry had all been sorted before her, landing a spot in Gryffindor. For a brief moment, she had thought the Sorting Hat would separate her from the only friends she had ever known, even if she had just met them. But luckily, her brave spirit had landed her a spot in Gryffindor.

"What did the Sorting Hat say to you when you were sorted, Hermione?" Leslie asked, remembering how the Sorting Hat had told her about her grandmother going to Hogwarts, even though she didn't know at the time that her grandmother was Professor McGonagall.

"Well, it was considering putting me in Ravenclaw because of my grades and such, but it finally decided to put me in Gryffindor." Hermione replied.

"That stupid hat doesn't know what it's talking about. It thought I would do well in _Slytherin, _if you can believe that!" Harry snapped. Leslie looked at him in surprise.

"Really? Harry, you never told us that." She pointed out. Harry shrugged it off.

"No big deal, I just think that hat has got some quirks." He said simply. Leslie agreed; if it thought Harry should be in Slytherin, kind, loyal Harry, it definitely was misunderstood.

Leslie stifled a yawn as the last of the first years, a little girl named Rosie Puffwinkle, was sorted into Hufflepuff. The students cheered and Leslie sighed out in relief.

"Honestly I thought I would enjoy watching the Sorting, but Whizbees, that was rather boring." She said, as she watched Professor McGonagall remove the Sorting Hat from the stool up front. Professor Dumbledore took her spot and began to address the students.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. To our returning students, we hope you are looking forward to a new term of learning the essentials of witchcraft and wizardry. To our first year students, there are some rules you should be aware of. First, the Forbidden Forest is off limits. Second, the third floor corridor is also strictly forbidden. Remember that first years are not to have their own broomsticks. A further note, for third year students, you are now entitled to Hogsmeade visits, as long as you have your permission forms signed." Leslie smiled to herself, glad she had Professor McGonagall sign hers before she left school last term.

"We also have some staff announcements to make. First, our lovely Professor Wizengamut, whom you have all grown to know as Professor Wizzie, has stepped down from her position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but, she has graciously accepted Goeffrey's position as Muggle Studies professor." A round of applause followed for Professor Wizzie, who was a definite favourite among Hogwarts professors.

"So, I would like to introduce to you our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor R.J. Lupin." Dumbledore motioned to a man behind him, who appeared scrawny, yet wise. He stood and nodded to the students who clapped shyly for him. Leslie wasn't paying attention to Professor Lupin though. She was more interested in what Professor Wizzie was doing.

"Harry, look." Leslie pointed, and Harry noticed exactly what Leslie had seen. Professor Wizzie was staring at Professor Lupin with beady eyes, and pink cheeks as she flashed the girlish smile she usually reserved for Snape. Harry also noticed Professor Snape at her side, who was looking even more sour than he normally did, if that were possible.

"Why d'you think she seems so interested in Professor Lupin?" Leslie asked. Harry shrugged.

"Don't ask me anything about women, I am clueless." He replied, as Leslie smiled.

"You will also be aware that our prior Care of Magical Creatures professor has left the school, due to health concerns, but fortunately for us, a familiar face has graciously accepted the position. Our games keeper Hagrid will be teaching you all about some brand new creatures this year." Dumbledore continued. Leslie joined her friends in cheering for Hagrid, who was one of their favourite people here at Hogwarts. Now he would be teaching them a class. Leslie grinned from ear to ear as she clapped for an old friend, the first man who had ever told her she was a witch, and that she belonged at Hogwarts. He even bought her Jinxie as a gift.

"I'm not one to dabble on and on when there's food to be consumed, so tuck in boys and girls." Dumbledore waved his arms and platefuls among platefuls of food appeared on the tables in front of the students. Leslie smiled to herself as she gazed at the spectacular feast in front of her. Ron wasted no time. As usual, he was the first to fill his plate, and his mouth.

"Should make for an interesting year, don't you think? I mean, Hagrid teaching us Care of Magical Creatures, won't that be brilliant?" Harry asked, as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"I'm quite curious about Professor Lupin. D'you think he'll be nice, or do you think he'll be more like Professor Snape?" Leslie asked as she shuddered, not looking forward to the Potions class they would have to endure with the head of Slytherin for yet another year.

"I non't knowf 'bout him, mbut Proffesshor Wisshie ish shtill teashing hewre, anmd dat's bwoody bwillriant." Ron said with a struggle, as he had stuffed a full potato in his mouth, with some chicken as well. Leslie and Hermione exchanged glances, amazed they were even able to understand what Ron was saying. Leslie giggled to herself as she served herself some peas. Even with Ron's rude table manners, she was greatly looking forward to the new term at her home, Hogwarts.

* * *

"You sure you know the password?" Leslie asked as the four of them ran up the staircases before they had a chance to change again. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Will you quit asking me, Leslie. I told you, Percy told me on the train when you were sleeping. The Fat Lady will let us into our common room if we give her the password, 'Acid Pops." She replied, as she grabbed a hold of Leslie's hand, who had nearly missed the jump as the staircase she was on began to move away.

"It just seems a bit easy for the Fat Lady. Her passwords are usually a bit more complex, that's all." Leslie pointed out as they walked briskly down a corridor on their way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"They're only keeping this password for the first week. It's for the first years. Don't you remember how easy the password was _our_ first year?" Hermione asked. Harry and Ron snorted a chuckle.

"Honestly Hermione, you want us to remember the _first_ password we ever had to remember? Blimey, that was two years ago, and there's been a hundred different passwords in between. That's bloody insane!" Ron exclaimed. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I remember. It was 'Snogworm." She shot a look at Ron and Harry, who shut up right away.

"Well look who it is. The Mudblood gang." Leslie shivered from head to toe at the recognition she felt upon hearing that shrill voice. Her enemy was standing right in front of her. Draco Malfoy, and his two goons. Leslie grabbed her wand and pushed her friends aside and confronted Malfoy.

"Don't you _dare_ call me any names, Malfoy. You have no right. I know what your father did last year, and if it weren't for the fact that we can't prove anything, he would be rotting in Azkaban right now for what he did to Tenille." Leslie hissed as she held her wand up. Malfoy looked at her with narrow eyes, as Hermione stepped forward.

"Leslie, put it away, don't do anything stupid." She whispered quietly, but Malfoy had overheard.

"Yeah Perks, you should listen to your Mudblood sister Granger, there. Although, can't say I'd be surprised. You are a stupid girl, after all." Malfoy sneered. Leslie raised her wand.

"_Rictus-"_

"Stop it!" Hermione grabbed Leslie's wand from her hand, much to Leslie's surprise. Leslie turned red as Draco and his friends laughed out loud.

"Watch your back Perks, and the rest of you too. Your little hexes don't scare me, and neither do you, filthy little Mudbloods." Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle turned and began walking away, with their laughter echoing shrilly throughout the corridor. Leslie took a step after them, but Hermione grabbed hold of her arm. Leslie finally took notice of her.

"Why'd you take it from me, Hermione? D'you know how _stupid_ that made me look?" She snapped. Hermione glared at her.

"Don't even start, Leslie! I was doing you a _favour!_ If you'll recall, you just got back on your grandmother's good side, after the broomstick episode. Do you really want to compromise that _again?_" Hermione asked. Leslie sighed out loud. She didn't apologize or admit Hermione was right, she just took her wand back from Hermione, as Leslie, Harry and Ron followed Hermione back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"By the way, what do you think happened to those two girls he was hanging out with last year? You know, Marisa and Gabrielle?" Ron asked, as they finally arrived at the Fat Lady. Leslie shuddered, remembering the fight she had gotten into with Gabrielle last year. Luckily for her, Professor Wizzie had been the one to catch her, and had kept it a secret from her grandmother. Leslie hadn't even gotten a detention for that one.

"Dunno. I know they're still here though. I saw them following Blaise Zambini around after the Great Feast. Maybe they've outgrown Malfoy." Harry replied. Leslie sniffed.

"No surprises there. I'm surprised they stayed with him as long as they did." She scoffed.

"Acid pops." Hermione said to the Fat Lady, who swung open and allowed them entrance into the Gryffindor Common Room.

Leslie sighed out loud at what she saw in front of her. She was already exhausted, and angry at her confrontation with Malfoy, the last thing she wanted to see was Fred and George showing all the Gryffindor students pictures they had taken of the pranks they had pulled on Leslie over the summer holidays.

"Look, and this one here was when we set off fireworks under her bed." Fred said, holding up a moving photograph.

"You can actually measure the distance she jumped. We guessed about three feet off the bed." George added.

"Woke up the whole house. Mum was in a right foul mood." Fred laughed. Leslie shook her head, and headed up the stairs to the girls dormitories, Hermione right behind her, who called goodnight to the boys.

Leslie quietly got herself ready for bed, as Hermione did the same. The other three girls they shared a dormitory with had not yet come up to bed. Leslie sighed out loud as she fell back on her soft bed.

"Hermione, I don't know what I'm going to do. I saw Malfoy for five seconds and I could _not_ control myself. I already hated him to begin with, but now not only do I see Draco, but I see his filthy father as well, and remember what he did last year, and how unfair it is that he's still walking about a free man." Leslie said to the ceiling. Hermione sighed as she sat down next to Leslie on her bed.

"I know, but Professor McGonagall will be on your case all year if you do something to Malfoy. She's already upset about your Transfiguration marks, and you have to have private lessons with her all year. If you do something to get her angry, those lessons will _not_ be pleasant." She replied. Leslie laughed a bit.

"And they'll be pleasant _now?_" Hermione joined in her laughing. Leslie sighed to herself, glad to be back home, back at Hogwarts. She just hoped, somehow, she would be able to avoid Draco Malfoy.


	8. A Disappointing First Day

"Come off it, Hermione, you _know_ the boys are always running late on our first day of classes." Leslie pointed out the next morning, as they both ate some toast with marmalade. Hermione sighed.

"Honestly, they have no interest whatsoever in furthering their education." She shook her head as she began reading her new timetable for what seemed like the hundredth time. Leslie giggled.

"Are you memorizing it in case you lose it? Or is it that interesting of a read?" She asked. Hermione shot her a glare as Harry and Ron hastingly ran into the Great Hall and sat down quickly with the girls, grabbing whatever food was left. Hermione shot both of them a look.

"Don't even start, Hermione. Not when I'm hungry." Ron shoveled a whole slice of toast in his mouth, as he gazed around the table. "Wha-happend to awl da butter tawrts?" Harry rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows at Leslie.

"So, what's our schedule like today?" He asked, knowing all four of them would be in the same classes, so not bothering to look at his own. Leslie smiled as she checked.

"Well, the _morning _looks decent, I suppose. We start with Muggle Studies, that's with Professor Wizzie, so it should be fantastic as always. Then we have Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. Unfortunately, after lunch we have Divination with that old bird, Trelawney, and then Potions with Snape." She sighed. Harry shrugged.

"Could be worse, I suppose." He said as he buttered some toast. Leslie nodded, stealing a glance at Ron, who still seemed sour about the butter tarts. She was about to say something, when an old owl flew in from the Great Hall window, and perched next to Ron, falling over a bit. Ron swallowed hard as Errol dropped a red envelope in Ron's hand, as he watched in horror as the bird flew off. Leslie puckered her brow.

"What's up Ron? Why do you look so scared? It's only an envelope. Probably from home." Leslie stopped immediately. From home? From Mrs. Weasley. _She's probably still sore about Scabbers._

Immediately, to Leslie's amazement, the red envelope began shaking convulsively in the air, where Ron had let go out of fear, and a bellowing echo Leslie recognized as Mrs. Weasley's voice escaped from the envelope.

"Ronald Weasley! From what Ginny tells me, you _still_ haven't found that rat of yours! Do I need to remind you that rat has been in the Weasley family for 12 years? I am very disappointed in you Ronald, I would have _expected_ more from _you!_ I hope you are not expecting us to send you a new pet, because you can do without!" With that, the envelope tore itself into many pieces. Leslie looked up to see every student's head turned toward where Ron was sitting, his face turning a little green.

* * *

"Don't worry about it Ron, I'm sure he'll turn up." Leslie sat as she patted Ron on the shoulder, as the four of them sat at their desks in their classroom, waiting for Professor Wizzie to begin. Ron swallowed.

"Stupid rat." He muttered, as Professor Wizzie turned to face her third year students.

"Welcome back, boys and girls. I trust you all had a wonderful holiday, but now, back to work, right?" She asked. She ignored the few groans she heard echo throughout the classroom.

"Well, I must say, I am indeed glad to be done with teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Too dark, if you ask me. That was always Sevvie's bowl of soup." Professor Wizzie paused. "Oh, I suppose I should tell you before any of you ask, yes, Professor Snape and I are still seeing each other. We had a wonderful summer." Leslie recognized the dreamy expression that was drawn on Wizzie's face, and she had to stuff her fist in her mouth to keep herself from laughing at Harry's gagging face.

"Although, an interesting fact for you, my old school sweetheart is here at Hogwarts this year as well. Did you know back in my fourth year at Hogwarts, I began seeing Professor Lupin? Oh yes, the two of us were inseparable for that whole year. Unfortunately, I began to realize my true feelings for Sev...Professor Snape, and Remus, well, he and his friends were a little harsh on poor Snape. I ended it." She sighed and stared off into the distance for a few moments, as Leslie and her friends exchanged glances. Leslie sighed to herself. _Whizbees, when are we gonna learn about Muggles?_ Leslie dropped her quill on her desk and pouted.

"Well then, that was ages ago, wasn't it? I do hope our childhood will not be a damper on our professional relationship, but we won't worry about that now, will we? I've gone on long enough. You're here to learn about Muggles, aren't you?" Wizzie asked. Leslie finally smiled, as she lifted her quill once again. _Finally._

"Muggles, well, interesting bunch of creatures, aren't they? Strange, but interesting. Well then, let's delve right in then, shall we? Today we will be talking about the use of the _fellytone_." Leslie's face dropped as she exchanged worried glances with Harry. He smacked his head, as Leslie dropped her quill and leaned back. She had a feeling Muggle Studies was going to be more difficult than she imagined.

* * *

"Well, I found that lesson quite interesting. Muggles, interesting bunch of creatures, aren't they?" Ron said cheerfully as the four friends walked down through the courtyard, off toward Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. Leslie sighed out loud.

"Honestly Ron, are you really that thick? A _fellytone?_ Professor Wizzie doesn't know anything about Muggles!" Hermione snapped.

"Ron just fancies her, that's all." Harry muttered under her breath.

"Living with Muggles all my life has done nothing to help me in this course. If I use 'telephone' instead of 'fellytone', Wizzie will give me an F, even though _I_ know she's wrong. Whizbees, I'm doomed. First, Transfiguration, now this." Leslie whined.

"Come on Leslie, cheer up. We get to see Hagrid. Maybe his lesson will be a little better." Harry said, as he patted Leslie on the back.

Harry was right, Leslie cheered up as soon as she saw her good friend Hagrid, smiling at each student individually and sharing a special wink for her and her friends.

"Hello Hagrid, have a good summer?" Leslie asked, as she shook his massive hand, feeling her bones crushing within her own.

"You betcha Leslie. All ready for class today?" Hagrid asked with a hearty grin. Leslie nodded with a smile.

"The, uh, the only thing is, er, I'm a bit nervous." Hagrid whispered, as he bent down to Leslie's level. Leslie shook her head.

"You'll be great, Hagrid. You know more about magical creatures than anyone else in the wizarding world." She said. Hagrid seemed to beam at this, as the rest of the class arrived, and Leslie joined her friends again.

Care of Magical Creatures turned out to be lots of fun. Leslie was amazed at the creature Hagrid brought out to show them. He called it a Hippogriff, and its name was Buckbeak. With the head of an eagle, and a body of a horse, Buckbeak still glowed with a magnificent beauty. Leslie was among one of the students who volunteered to approach the creature, but she had to do it very carefully, showing the Hippogriff as much respect as possible. Leslie was surprised when Buckbeak let her rub his beak, which was more than what he allowed Malfoy to do. That was what cheered Leslie up the most.

* * *

"Did you see the way Buckbeak chased Malfoy off? Brilliant, if you ask me!" Leslie beamed as the group headed back up to the school for lunch.

"You seem to have cheered up a great deal." Hermione pointed out.

"Come on Hermione. You can't tell me you didn't grin when you saw Buckbeak charge at the stupid git. His own bloody fault. You're supposed to _bow_ to a Hippogriff, not run toward it waving your arms. Idiot." Ron shook his head. Leslie laughed.

* * *

The rest of the day put a damper on Leslie's mood, as Divination turned out to be worse than she and Hermione even imagined. They were taught the "fine art" of interpreting tea leaves to predict the future. Hermione and Leslie partnered up and weren't quite sure they understood the concept, especially after Hermione interpreted Leslie's tea leaves.

"Erm," Hermione turned a page in her _Do's and Don't's of Divination_, "According to this, I think Jinxie is going...to be transfigured...into a broomstick." Leslie slammed her book shut at this point, frustrated. This class was going to be even more of a hoax than she imagined.

* * *

Potions was worse. Professor Snape was still Potions Master and seemed to have it in for Leslie and her friends. Ever since Snape tried to expel her last year, he seemed to have made it his personal goal to get the four of them expelled from Hogwarts forever. Leslie received a detention with Professor Snape after Draco Malfoy magically sent a piece of paper to Leslie's desk. When Leslie opened it, she saw an ugly drawing of herself, with the word (in large red letters) "MUDBLOOD" scrawled across it. Leslie glared at Malfoy, but it wasn't long before Snape approached her desk.

"Give me that, Perks. No note passing in class." He grabbed the paper from her hands, only to see a similar drawing, of Professor Snape with an abnormally long nose, with the phrase "SNAPPY SMELLS" in the same red letters. Leslie realized Malfoy had somehow cast a jinx on it to transfigure when Snape took it. Snape immediately blamed Leslie, and after Hermione, Ron and Harry tried to defend their friend, all four of them were sentenced to serve a detention with Professor Snape that evening.

"Unfair! I swear, I think I hate that man _more_ than I hate Malfoy." Leslie stamped her foot as her and her friends headed up to the Gryffindor Common Room after all their classes were done.

"Come on Leslie, don't act surprised. Snape looks for every chance he gets to punish Gryffindor students." Hermione replied.

"I don't care! I don't like him, he's a git!" Leslie groaned to herself. "Defense Against the Dark Arts better be good. I swear, I need to have at least one decent class this term." Leslie was bitter the rest of the night, reflecting on a bad day. She groaned to herself when she later remembered her lessons with her grandmother would take place the next evening. She wondered if things could possibly get any worse.


	9. Leslie's Boggart

Leslie rounded a corner as she struggled to catch her breath. She stole a glance at her watch. 7:05p.m. She was late! _As if my day hasn't been bad enough, now I get to listen to my grandmother lecture me on tardiness!_ Leslie thought bitterly as she tried to speed up.

It was true. Her first two days at Hogwarts had not been fun at all. Their detention with Snape was bad enough, as Leslie and her three friends had spent six hours scrubbing old cauldrons the Muggle way, while he stood over their shoulders, and critisized every spot they missed. Just as Leslie's eyes had begun to grow heavy, she was thankful when she heard Professor Wizzie's voice scolding Snape.

"You've kept these poor students up past their bedtimes. That's enough now, children, off you go, straight to bed." Wizzie smiled at the four, as they stood up and ran from the room before Snape argued the point. But he hadn't. Wizzie seemed to have him wrapped around her finger.

As Leslie had drifted off to sleep the night before, she had only hoped her Tuesday would be better.

But it wasn't. Their morning class of History of Magic, which was one of Leslie's most hated classes, second only to Potions, consisted of Professor Binns floating at the front of the classroom, droning on about the history of Veelas. Only Ron seemed remotely interested.

Leslie had thought Charms would at least cheer her up. It was her favourite class. But even that was disappointing. Professor Flitwick spent the entire period revising from the following year, all charms Leslie was so familiar with, she could recite them in her sleep.

At lunch, the four friends read in the Daily Prophet about a breakout from Azkaban. A former Death Eater by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped from the wizard prison the night before. Nobody knew how she had managed to get past the Dementers, the creatures who guarded the prison, but she was now a criminal on the loose. Leslie threw the newspaper down with a sigh.

"Great! Not only is Lucius Malfoy out there, serving Voldemort - Oh Ron, it's just a name!" She snapped, as Ron had turned a horrid shade of purple.

"Don't worry about it Leslie. The Dementers will find her and catch her." Hermione replied.

"Yeah, we should just concentrate on school." Harry pointed out, to Hermione's surprise. Leslie sulked for the rest of the lunch period. _Not like school's any fun anymore._

The rest of the day hadn't helped her mood lift either. They had double Herbology in the afternoon, learning how to plant _a Morsus Bractea, _a golden plant with leaves that, if provoked, snapped and bit at whatever was closest. Leslie and her friends left the class with numerous cuts and scrapes, and spent the next few hours waiting for Madame Pomfrey to tend to them, along with every other third year student in that class.

All of Leslie's frustrations and disappointments had caused her to forget all about the Transfiguration lessons she was to have with her grandmother that night. It was Hermione who had reminded her, and now Leslie was running as fast as she could toward Professor McGonagall's office.

"I'm sorry I'm late, professor." Leslie wheezed as she came to a halt in Professor McGonagall's office. Leslie took deep breaths, as she felt sweat forming on her forehead. Professor McGonagall shook her head.

"Well, nevermind. Mind you're on time next week though. I do have much work to do with you." She stood from her desk and approached Leslie. "How have classes been treating you?" Leslie wanted to tell her grandmother that they were horrible, that she hated it so far, but she forced a smile instead.

"Great." She lied.

"Good, well, let's get started shall we?" McGonagall turned, and Leslie scowled to herself as she followed her grandmother to the front of the room.

* * *

"Do you understand all that Leslie?" Professor McGonagall asked after half an hour of lessons. Leslie sighed as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Yes, professor, I understand it, but Whizbees, this is _first_ year stuff. I faired well in first year, remember?" Leslie complained. McGonagall shook her head.

"Yes well it's best to start at the beginning, because something became difficult for you during second year. If I start at the beginning, I can pinpoint just where things went wrong." She explained, as she turned to the next page of the first year's transfiguration textbook. Leslie sighed audibly.

"No offense, professor, but this just seems to be the most useless subject. I just don't understand why it's so important to know all this stuff. I mean, what good will it do in the _real_ world?" She asked, holding nothing back anymore. It had been such a disappointing and upsetting couple of days, she just couldn't find the energy to show the respect her grandmother deserved.

Professor McGonagall looked taken aback, but only for a moment, as she considered her granddaughter. Then, she shut the textbook and pulled out her wand.

"Take out your wand, Leslie." She said, ignoring Leslie's question altogether. "I want you to attempt to transfigure this toad into a lemon." Leslie looked down at the frog that was sitting perfectly still on McGonagall's desk. Leslie sighed again, pulling her wand out from her robes and, trying to remember the spell from the last year, pointed her wand at the frog.

"_Transformo pomum." _She said quietly, and sulked when the frog continued to stare up at her with beady little eyes, with only a slight yellow color forming around his eyes. Leslie put her wand down, as she could feel Professor McGonagall staring at her.

"Leslie, you should at least _try_ to use your imagination. The frog won't turn into a lemon if you can't visualize it first." McGonagall said.

"But professor, it just doesn't make any sense to me. When would I ever transfigure a frog into a lemon? Why do I need to learn about it?" Leslie complained. Professor McGonagall let out a frustrated sigh and stood up.

"That's enough for tonight. I will not tolerate your sulking. I will see you in class, and don't forget lessons next Tuesday night either. For now, I want you to practice this spell on Longbottom's toad until you have it down perfectly." She said sternly. Leslie nodded, promising she would, but as she left her grandmother's presence, she couldn't help but think she had better things to do with her time than to attempt to transfigure poor Trevor into a lemon, of all things.

* * *

"I swear, if Defense Against the Dark Arts doesn't turn out to be decent, I'll go completely mad!" Leslie complained the next morning as she and her three friends made their way down to their first period class, which was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I agree Leslie, it has been a pretty sour semester so far, and it's only been two days. At least Care of Magical Creatures is decent." Harry replied.

"Hey, Muggle Studies is brilliant! What have you got against that class?" Ron piped up.

"Honestly Ronald, you only enjoy that class because you fancy Wizzie." Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Well anyway, I hope Professor Lupin makes his class fun today. Especially with having to deal with Transfiguration right afterwards." Leslie scowled as they entered their classroom, and found themselves some seats.

After the usual morning chatter, the skinny professor they recognized from the feast on Sunday night entered the classroom and smiled at the third year students.

"Good morning students, it's good to see all of you. I hope you have all brought with you a desire to learn more about how to better defend yourselves against the dark arts. I hope we will have a great term." Professor Lupin announced. Leslie sighed. _You and me both._ She thought to herself.

"Right, well, I thought the best way to teach this course would be to take a more, shall we say, practical approach. You'll be better equipped to fight against the dark arts if you have the practice. We will begin by learning about a very interesting, but strange creature. Can anyone tell me what a Boggart is?" Leslie immediately felt her annoyance increasing when Hermione's arm shot up in the air. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry.

"Yes dear?" Professor Lupin pointed at Hermione, who was the only one with her hand raised.

"Boggarts are shapeshifters. They tend to habituate in dark, enclosed spaces. However, when they are in the presence of human beings, they feed on their fears and shift their shape into that which the victim is most afraid of." Hermione replied with her typical know-it-all voice. Professor Lupin nodded with a grin.

"You are absolutely right, my dear, ten points to Gryffindor. Now then, there is only one spell that can get rid of a Boggart, but it is harder than you would think. Remember that the Boggart will shift into the shape that makes you the most afraid. It is sometimes very difficult for us to face our fears, but it is very important to visualize in your mind what it is you are afraid of, and turn it into something humourous. When you have that image in your mind, that is when you recite the incantation _Ridikulous!_ The spell will only work if you are able to look into the face of what you are afraid of and be able to laugh." He added, as he pointed at an old wardrobe that had been shifting violently since the beginning of class. Nobody had really seemed to notice. Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been an interesting class.

"Right, well let's get started shall we? Form a line, and we will begin to face our Boggarts." Professor Lupin began to play some music on an old record player as the students formed a line. Leslie grinned to Harry as they waited their turn. This was much more fun than revising Charms from last term, or listening to all that hogwash about Divination. Leslie had never thought about what she was afraid of, and was interested in seeing what the Boggart would form into. _Nothing that I can't handle. I'm a Gryffindor, after all._ She almost laughed to herself, as she watched the students facing their Boggarts.

Ron, Harry and Leslie all watched with anticipation as Hermione approached the Boggart with her wand held at the ready. The shape shifter molded its shape, and soon, Professor McGonagall was standing in the classroom. It was a strange moment for Leslie. _I didn't realize it could shift into people, _she thought, as she watched what appeared to be her grandmother, staring coldly down at Hermione.

"This notice is to inform you that you have failed your Charms examination, and thus are not able to pass forward into your fourth year." The Boggart McGonagall said sternly as it held forward a piece of parchment. Leslie's eyes widened.

"Typical." Ron muttered, as Leslie smacked him. Hermione seemed shaken by this for a moment, but her classmates cheered her on as she closed her eyes for a moment, and with a confident flick of the arm, thrust her wand forwrad.

"_Ridikulous!"_ She shouted, and the figure disappeared and was replaced by McGonagall riding a unicycle in bright purple robes, juggling bright colored balls. Leslie laughed out loud, as Hermione ran to the back of the line with a confident smile, and applause followed. Leslie was next, and she ran forward confidently. _If Hermione can do it, so can I._ She thought to herself as she stared at her grandmother juggling with a grin. She still heard the faint laughter behind her as she waited for her Boggart to shift its shape. The longer it took for the Boggart to read into her fears, the more worried Leslie became. Her smile faded, as her heart began to beat a little faster. Suddenly, the room seemed empty. It was just her and her Boggart. It slowly began to shift its shape. Leslie let out a gasp when she realized who was standing there in front of her.

Her mother and her father, staring down at her with those cold eyes. Leslie only stared at them wide-eyed, as her mother stepped forward, with her hand reaching forward.

"Give us the wand, Leslie." She said in a stern tone. Leslie felt light-headed, as her heart was beating wildly against her chest.

"It's time to give it up, Leslie. Time to come home." Her father said in a similar stern tone. Leslie stared at them, unable to think of something funny to replace this horrid image. Her hand shook as she struggled to lift her wand up. She had never felt more fear than she did in that moment, as she stared up into the lifeless eyes of her parents, who seemed to be closing in on her.

Leslie's breathing became labored as she tried to step back, but felt frozen to the spot. Professor Lupin noticed Leslie was having a difficult time, and immediately stepped in front of her, causing the Boggart to shift its shape into what appeared to be a full moon. Before she could see Lupin cast the spell, she ran to the back of the room, where Hermione stared at her with concerned eyes.

"Leslie, what on earth happened? You froze!" She stated worriedly. Leslie turned to see Harry facing a floating cloak, causing many students to appear confused, but the four of them knew he was looking at what they had last seen of Lord Voldemort. Leslie sighed, as Harry performed the spell and the cloak tied itself into a black bowtie. Leslie breathed out shakily, and her hands were still shaking when Harry reached the back of the classroom.

"Leslie, you alright? Why couldn't you perform the spell? It's not that hard." Harry said as Ron had begun his turn. Leslie shook her head.

"I've never thought of what could be my greatest fear. I thought it would be something like what you saw, Harry. Voldemort, or maybe Tenille or Lucius Malfoy even, but I never expected I would see _them._" Leslie shuddered at the thought. Hermione and Harry exchanged glances.

"Who were they Leslie?" Hermione asked. Leslie turned and stared at Hermione. Of course they wouldn't know; they had never met her parents.

"My...my parents." Leslie said, still not believing it herself. Hermione puckered her brow.

"But...why would they scare you?" She asked.

"You afraid they might come back from the dead?" Harry asked, earning him an elbow in the ribs by Hermione. Leslie shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I think..." She paused. "I think my fear is that...that someone will take this all away from me. I mean, before I came to Hogwarts, I had no friends, no sisters or brothers, I had no luck in school, my parents didn't care for me or want to spend time with me. Then I came here, where I have friends, and I've found out who I am and what I can do. I've learned that there is more to this world than meets the eye, and I found out I had a family who cared about me." Leslie swallowed bravely, forcing herself not to show the tears that were threatening. "I...I don't want to lose that."

"If that's your fear, Leslie, then why did you see your mum and dad?" Harry asked, beginning to understand. Leslie shrugged as she exhaled loudly, her face turning quite pale.

"I dunno. I guess because of what my grandmother told me. My parents were very much against the magical world - that was the whole reason I never knew about my grandmother. They would have nothing to do with any of this. If they could stop me from being happy, they would. I expect that's why the Boggart turned into them." Leslie replied, shaking a little less, as she watched Ron approaching them, his face nearly as pale as Leslie's.

"Blimey," He said, as the four of them stood at the back of the line. "Bloody spider. Even when I got him tap-dancing, it did nothing for me." Ron shuddered, and even had Leslie laughing, as the last of the students approached their Boggarts, casting the _Ridikulous _spell on them all, as laughter ensued.

Leslie had been the only one who was unsuccessful.


	10. Madness In Hogsmeade

Leslie couldn't believe how quickly the first month of school had gone by, although things had not gotten much better for the young witch. The lessons with her grandmother were bad enough, as she still couldn't successfully transfigure a toad into a lemon, but worse, Professor Lupin had pulled her aside earlier and told her that being able to face a Boggart was a requirement for third year, and she would not pass Defense Against the Dark Arts unless she would be able to face her fears and perform the Ridikulous spell on her Boggart. He said she could come anytime; the Boggart would always be there, but Leslie still hadn't had the courage to do so.

It was a chilly Friday afternoon after classes had ended, and Leslie was rushing to finish her astrology charts that were due that evening for her nighttime astrology class. Hermione had already finished the week before, and was now curled up in an armchair in the common room, reading about Boggarts.

"Leslie, this book says it's perfectly normal to have trouble facing your Boggart. Some of the most renowned witches and wizards ever couldn't face a Boggart." Hermione said, still trying to make Leslie feel better. Leslie sighed, as she placed her quill down.

"Yeah, but the difference is, they didn't _know_ they were facing an actual Boggart. They probably believed what they were seeing was real. I, however, _know_ it's just a Boggart. Thanks Hermione, but it's not really helping." Leslie turned her eyes back to her homework as Hermione let out a sigh. That was when Harry burst through the Fat Lady's portrait, into the common room.

"Leslie!" He screamed out, causing Leslie to spill her ink.

"Whizbees Harry, look what you've gone and made me do." Leslie pulled out her wand. "_Detergeo."_ The ink faded away as Harry grabbed a seat.

"Leslie, I just found out. Oliver Wood grabbed hold of me and told me that Quidditch tryouts for Chaser are happening tomorrow. You're still trying out aren't you?" He asked. Leslie's heart skipped a beat. She had completely forgotten about Quidditch with all the disappointment she had endured so far this year.

"Of course I'm trying out." Leslie said quickly. Her nerves were shattered though. What if she didn't make it? Flying was one of her favourite things to do. If she made the Quidditch team, at least her year at Hogwarts wouldn't be a complete disaster. There would be something decent to look forward to. It was the tryouts that made her so nervous.

"Great! Don't worry Leslie, I'll help you. I thought we could practice a bit tonight, you know, just to get you used to the field and everything." Harry said. Leslie smiled. Harry was such a wonderful friend, always trying to help.

"Thanks Harry, that'd be great." She checked her watch quickly. "Whizbees, I'd better get this astrology chart done soon, or I'll be late for dinner!"

* * *

Leslie had managed to finish it with just enough time to run down the stairs, causing her to be only a few moments late for dinner, but only because the Hogwarts staircases had decided to change, steering Leslie down the longer route toward the Great Hall. Luckily, her friends had saved her a seat and dished her up a plate before their fellow Gryffindors ate everything. Leslie thanked them as she began to scarf down her potatoes.

Midway through their dinner, Professor Dumbledore stood to address the students who were chattering away. Everyone fell silent immediately as the respected headmaster began to speak.

"I hope you are all enjoying your dinner, and I hope you are enjoying the weather. The chill can only mean that Christmas holidays are just around the corner. However, I have some news I must present tonight that I wish I did not have to give, but it is only fair to warn you." Dumbledore said in a quiet voice. Leslie swallowed hard. It seemed every year so far, Professor Dumbledore had given bad news from where he stood. Leslie remembered first year, when Professor Dumbledore announced that first year students had gone missing. That had led the Harry, Hermione and Leslie down to the Dungeon of Dreknon where Ron was being held prisoner by Professor Quirrel and Lord Voldemort himself, who was not fully human. They had barely made it out of that scrap alive. And then there was second year, when Professor Dumbledore announced that a mysterious, deadly venom was being slipped into drinks in Hogsmeade, killing all those who drank it. Leslie had suspected Professor's Snape and Wizzie, but soon discovered it was her friend from Hufflepuff, Tenille Smythe, who was being driven by the Imperius Curse. That had cost her her friend Christopher Kedavra's life.

What bad news could it be this year? Leslie braced herself, as she stole a glance at her three friends, who appeared equally as worried.

"I'm sorry to announce that the trip into Hogsmeade this October has been cancelled. I know all of our third years were greatly looking forward to this expedition, but it cannot be done. The Black Fog has been sighted circling around the area, and we do not want any of our students exposed to its consequences. No, it is not something that kills, but remember boys and girls, there are worse things than death. This fog causes insanity, madness. No need to worry, because this madness _can _be cured with the proper incantation, however, most times, the madness isn't recognized or caught until after unpleasant memories and hallucinations are left with the person. It's best to avoid it at all costs. We hope to resume our trip into Hogsmeade in December. Do not be alarmed. You are safe within Hogwarts walls." Dumbledore nodded his head and returned to his table. Eventually, the chatter within the Great Hall began again, but Hermione immediately turned to her friends with that look in her eye.

"Why wouldn't he tell us more about what the Black Fog is?" She asked.

"What? Don't _you _know?" Ron asked with raised eyebrows.

"Come on Ron, she can't know _everything._" Leslie replied with a roll of her eyes.

"D'you think that's what I saw on the train that day, Leslie?" Harry asked suddenly. Leslie tried to remember what he was talking about and then she recalled the black smoke that they had seen from the Hogwarts Express while Ron and Hermione slept that day.

"What? What did you see?" Hermione wanted to know.

"I thought it was just a storm cloud, but..." Leslie stared at Harry.

"It was like nothing _I'd_ ever seen before. It was thick, black, foggy. I dunno, but it was spooky." Harry replied. Hermione sighed out loud.

"That's it! If Professor Dumbledore insists on treating us like children and claiming we're safe within Hogwarts walls, but won't tell us the details about what's out there, then _I'm_ going to have to do some sniffing around in the library. Come on Ron!" Hermione grabbed hold of Ron's collar, and jerked him backwards, as a dinner roll fell from his hands.

"Right then, er, we'll catch up with you after we practice Quidditch." Harry called after them, as Leslie giggled.

"If there's something to be researched, leave it to Hermione." Leslie said with a grin, as she finished her pumpkin juice.

* * *

Leslie buttoned her cloak up to the last button as her and Harry walked briskly out to the Quidditch field, dragging their broomsticks behind them. Leslie felt sick to her stomach as she imagined what the tryouts would be like the next day. She had forgotten all about trying out for the Quidditch team, as she had been so busy with keeping up with her classes, as well as her lessons with her grandmother. Leslie very nearly thought about foregoing the tryouts, unsure she would even make the team, but Harry had so much faith in her, and he was determined to get her a spot on the team with him. Leslie couldn't turn him down.

"Right Leslie, er, how have your landings been?" Harry asked, once they got to the center of the Quidditch field. Leslie scowled at him.

"What difference does it make if I can land? We're flying the whole time, aren't we?" She asked, as she mounted her broomstick confidently. Harry sighed out loud at Leslie's stubbornness.

"Fine, anyway, I thought we could start by working on some passing." He said as he picked up the Quaffle and mounted his own broomstick. Leslie agreed, and both teenagers kicked off from the ground, and began to pass back and forth.

They practiced for a solid couple of hours, passing the Quaffle back and forth, Leslie trying to score past Harry, who played Keeper for a while, and she even managed to work on her landings a little bit (she still wasn't quite landing where she had planned to, but she never told Harry that).

By the end of the practice, Leslie was freezing. The sun had set ages ago, and both children could see their own breath in a mist-like fashion.

"Brilliant Leslie, I think you've got everything down. You're already a terrific flyer, I mean, you flew across London last year to rescue me from the Dursleys. I'm not the greatest Keeper, but you got quite a few goals past me, and I wasn't even trying to take it easy on you 'cause you're a..." Harry stopped himself and Leslie raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? A _girl?_" Leslie grinned at him, hitting him gently as the two practically ran back to the school, chilled to the bone.

"Nervous?" Harry asked, as they made their way to the Fat Lady. Leslie shrugged, but all of her insides were in a knot. She knew she wouldn't sleep that night. She was scared to bits, but could never tell Harry that. Harry always saw her as a brave girl, she couldn't bear to have him see her nervous.

"Nah, piece of cake, right?" Leslie offered a smile.

"_Floating Arumas."_ Harry said to the Fat Lady, who offered them passage into their common room. Leslie immediately saw Ron, nodding off in an armchair, as Hermione had her nose in a book. Ron immediately sat up straight when Harry hit him over the head.

"Whatsamatter?" He called out in a gruff voice, looking around for signs of life. Leslie smiled, and turned to Hermione.

"Anything?" She asked, as she took a seat next to her best friend, peering over her shoulder to the book.

"It's disturbing Leslie, you sure you want to know?" Hermione asked, looking at both Harry and Leslie. Leslie nodded, feeling her gut wrench. Obviously there _was_ more to this Black Fog that Dumbledore had let on, or Hermione wouldn't look as serious as she did.

"Dumbledore was right on one account. The Black Fog _does_ cause madness, but he left out the part about how the Black Fog is something that is conjured up by a Death Eater, to show their allegiance and loyalty to Lord Voldemort." Hermione said, as she placed the book down in her lap. Leslie's heart skipped a beat as she exchanged worried looks with Harry.

"What are you saying? Do you mean that there's a Death Eater out there right now, who has conjured up this fog?" Leslie asked. Harry sighed out loud angrily.

"I bet it's Malfoy." He said angrily.

"It could be, but he wouldn't have done it from here. It says here that the _only _place the spell can be cast is on a small island called the Isle of the Black Fog. This is the only place the spell can be conjured. Anywhere else and it won't work." Hermione replied.

"Big deal, all Lucius Malfoy has to do is Apparate himself there, piece of cake for a man like him." Leslie replied.

"What else does it say about this madness?" Ron asked, seemingly interested now that everyone else was as well. Hermione rolled her eyes, and spoke to Harry and Leslie.

"The madness the fog causes isn't fatal, Dumbledore was right about that as well, but it has led to death in the past. But it's because the madness has driven people to take their own lives." She said as she closed up the book.

"We already know Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater, he might as well have put it in writing, the way he spoke to me last term. He was responsible for the Venom of Trog, why _wouldn't _he go a step further? Whizbees, if only people believed us about what he's done, maybe we could stop this fog from hurting people." Leslie said as she breathed out angrily.

"Leslie, we can't prove it's Mr. Malfoy, and even if we could, it's not our place to be doing so. You have more important things to worry about right now, like finishing up that astrology chart before class in an hour. I looked it over while you were gone, and you completely missed the point of the third moon for Gemini. And don't forget, you've got tryouts tomorrow too. You've got enough on your plate without having to worry about the Black Fog." Hermione said, as she stood up. Leslie sighed, angry at herself for rushing through that astrology chart, and angry at Hermione who had to point it out. But she couldn't deny that Hermione was right. As Leslie made her way back over to the table where she had left her charts lying about, she completely forgot all about the Black Fog, and tried to focus on her homework, while nervously anticipating the next day's tryouts.


	11. The Gryffindor Chaser

When Hermione shook her the next morning, Leslie had already been awake for hours. She hardly remembered if she had even fallen asleep at all. Her stomach had been turning all night as she imagined herself being told by Oliver Wood that she was banned from Quidditch forever because she couldn't even properly land a broomstick.

As Leslie got dressed in comfortable clothes, she wondered if it was too late to change her mind. After all, it wasn't as though she actually signed up for the tryout. No one would know the difference. _Harry would._ That was the clincher. She wanted to make Harry proud.

Hermione was saying something to her on their way down to breakfast, and Leslie thought she caught a word here and there about pumpkin juice.

"Wha-?" Leslie finally turned and acknowledged her friend. Hermione sighed audibly.

"Honestly Leslie, you're as bad as Ron is sometimes." She said, all frustrated. Leslie glared at her.

"In case you've forgotten, my nerves are a little shot today. When was the last time _you_ tried out for Gryffindor's Chaser?" She snapped.

"Well if you had been _listening_ to me, you'd know I was trying to help you. I _was_ saying that you'd best be sure and drink lots of pumpkin juice before you go. I read in _Madame Rutherford's Magical Remedies_ that extract of pumpkin does wonders for energy and perception. It should help, at least." Hermione said, as the two of them entered the Great Hall. Leslie sighed, thanking Hermione. Leave it to Hermione to be on top of things, even things like this.

"Leslie, all ready then?" Harry asked excitedly as he immediately poured her a glass of pumpkin juice. Apparently Hermione had told him the same thing. Leslie gulped it down quickly, hoping Hermione was right.

"Terrific." Leslie lied, as she sat down. As her friends ate breakfast (Leslie couldn't even stomach _looking_ at the food, let alone eating it), she tried to remember everything Harry had told her the night before. _Don't pay any attention to the golden snitch. Sometimes it can be distracting, but only focus on the Quaffle. Remember to fly fast, but also remember to slow down when you get near the goalposts, otherwise you'll fly right through. Keep your balance. Landing isn't important, but teamwork is._ Leslie was sure she was forgetting something, and she hoped it would all come back to her out on the field.

At least it was a decent day outside. The sun had come back out and it appeared to be relatively warm outside, so Leslie thought she might be okay in just a sweater. Harry thought so too, and he told her once she got playing, she wouldn't be thinking about the weather anyway.

Finally, Hermione, Ron and Harry finished their breakfast, and they had about half an hour before the tryouts began.

"Well, we might as well go down there, see who else is trying out." Harry suggested, as the four friends left the castle, and began walking. Leslie's heart was hammering against her chest. Why had she agreed to this in the first place?

"We'll be watching from the stands, Leslie, cheering you on." Hermione said, referring to her and Ron.

"And I'll be right on the field with you, playing Seeker." Harry said with a reassuring smile. Leslie knew if she wasn't feeling so nervous, she would be grateful for her friends' support and presence, but at the moment, she could only mutter nonsense words that didn't even make sense to her.

It wasn't before too long that they had arrived on the Quidditch field, and Leslie was standing off to the side beside her broomstick, staring up at Ron and Hermione, who cheered for her from the Gryffindor stands.

There were about ten people all together trying out for the position of the Gryffindor Chaser. Each student would play with the team for a few moments so that Oliver Wood could assess who best worked with the team, and who had the best skills as Chaser.

Leslie watched nervously as a fourth year Gryffindor named Ted Buroki passed the Quaffle to Angelina, who was another Chaser. Leslie thought he was doing tremendously well, but when Angelina attempted to pass the Quaffle back to Ted, he was too busy drooling over Katie Bell, who was yelling at him to pay attention. He ended up being hit with a Bludger and fell off his broomstick. He was sent to the hospital wing immediately.

"Sorry mate." Fred, who was the one who had sent the Bludger, yelled after Ted, as he was whisked away by Madame Pomfrey.

"Don't worry, the bruise will go away in no time at all." George added. Oliver Wood landed slowly with a great sigh.

"Alright, who's next?" Leslie waited again, as another student tried out. This time a sixth year student mounted her broomstick and flew up to join the rest of the team. Georgia Kudis flew her broom extremely well, fast and accurately, and Leslie felt all hopes of making it on the Gryffindor Quidditch team slowly disappating, until Katie tossed the Quaffle to Georgia, who attempted to catch it, but let it fall to the ground.

"Oops, butterfingers." She said with a chuckle, as she continued to circle the field. She didn't get any better either. She scored a goal, but on the wrong side, and she began shrieking like a banshee when a Bludger was coming right for her. She continued to scream as she flew her broom right out of the Quidditch pitch. Leslie watched as her figure disappeared and her screams faded. Leslie sighed, as she watched a few more students try out. Some were horrible, some were decent, and some were really good, and Leslie wasn't sure where she stood anymore, but after Darcy O'Leroy was finished his turn, Leslie was up.

Her heart was hammering wildly against her chest as she mounted her broomstick. She looked over to her friends, who were cheering loudly from the stands, and it was when she caught Harry's eye up above her, who waved down to her reassuringly. With a final sigh, Leslie kicked off the ground and flew up to the rest of the team.

The Quaffle started with Katie, and Leslie flew up ahead, just as Harry had told her to do, and she kept her eye not only on Katie, but also on Fred and George, who were sending Bludgers all over the field. Leslie dodged them whenever they flew toward her, and she even remembered the flip Harry had taught her the night before that helped her to avoid a Bludger by a hair.

Leslie felt the breeze burning her skin, they were flying so fast, as Katie and Angelina passed the Quaffle back and forth, and in the corner of her eyes, Leslie saw that Katie was about to pass the Quaffle to Leslie. _This is it!_ Leslie thought to herself, as she ducked another Bludger. She managed to catch the Quaffle, and knew it would be up to her to shoot it through the goal post, since they were so close to where Oliver Wood was playing Keeper. Leslie did as Harry had told her; she pretended as though she were going to throw the Quaffle in the left hoop, but just as she was nearing the goal posts, she arched over in the sky, and threw it in the right hoop. Oliver Wood missed it. Leslie smiled to herself as she heard Hermione screaming out excitedly.

And so it continued. Leslie was growing exhausted of dodging Bludgers, passing Quaffles, and scoring goals, but she no longer felt nervous. In fact, she was having so much fun, she very nearly forgot she was in tryouts.

"Alright, that's great, thanks Leslie." Oliver said as he called out for the next person to come up. Leslie flew down to land, and hoped nobody had really noticed that she had landed several feet away from where she had planned, but Jackson Sutherland had already flown up to play his turn. All Leslie could do now was wait.

It seemed as though the last four students who were trying out for the position of the Gryffindor Chaser took much longer to try out than anyone else, but Leslie figured her nerves were slightly shot, and her impatience was getting the better of her. But finally, Michelle Zaires landed down on the field and joined the rest of the hopefuls.

Soon after Oliver Wood landed and approached the line of ten students who were waiting to find out the news, Leslie felt her knees buckling beneath her and it was all she could do to hold herself up as Oliver stared at everyone.

"I won't lie, some you of you were right horrible, and I can't understand why you would even _try_ to play Quidditch, but I won't mention any names. I'm sure you know who you are. Anyway, there's only room for one Chaser, and I was watching each of you closely. So," He looked at each individual carefully before his eyes stopped on Leslie, "Leslie, welcome to the team."

Leslie's heart stopped as she repeated Oliver's words over and over in her own head. "Welcome to the team." She did it! She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team!

She smiled widely as she let out a huge sigh while the rest of the Gryffindor students began to leave the Quidditch pitch. Leslie turned back to Oliver, who reached out and shook Leslie's hand.

"Great job, Leslie. Great to have you on the team. In all honesty, you did so much better than any of the other pathetic fools." Wood said as he gestured toward the students walking off the field. Leslie swallowed.

"Er, thanks." She said.

"See you at practice. I'll send a note around to the team to let you all know when it will be. Good job Leslie." Wood said, as he passed Leslie a neatly folded bright red and yellow Quidditch robe. Leslie smiled as Wood walked away.

Leslie looked up to the Gryffindor stands and didn't see anybody, so she knew Ron and Hermione were already on their way down, and Harry was already running up to her with a huge grin on his face.

"Leslie, you were brilliant! You made it!" Harry said loudly as he scooped Leslie up into a tight hug. Leslie laughed to herself as Ron and Hermione joined them on the field.

"Terrific, Leslie. Your flying was amazing." Hermione said as she grabbed hold of Leslie's shoulders.

"Bloody amazing, much better than the rest of those sodding idiots." Ron added with a nod. Leslie laughed to herself as the four friends began to walk back toward the castle. Leslie felt so much better now that it was over, and now she couldn't wait until her first game.


	12. The Truth About Harry

As they were on their way back, Leslie spotted Professor Wizengamut kneeling over not far from the castle in front of what appeared to be a small garden.

"Hello Professor." Leslie greeted as they stopped. Leslie noticed Ron's cheeks were turning pink.

"Oh hello dears." She looked at Leslie's robes. "Well, you made the team, great job! I knew you could do it."

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, looking at the garden.

"Oh, just watering my daisies. I figured they needed a bit of help." Wizzie replied, as Leslie nearly giggled at the sight of the wilted yellow daisies. _She must be in denial. With it being this cold, they don't stand a chance._

"Er, no offense Professor, but, the cold weather is coming, and erm, well, I don't know that the daisies will make it." Harry said, verbalizing what Leslie was thinking. Professor Wizzie stared at him dumbfounded.

"Nonsense, boy, these aren't _Muggle_ daisies for goodness sake. These are _Contrarius _Daisies. They're only wilted right now because it hasn't begun to snow yet. These daisies don't need sunlight and warmth to survive like plain old Muggle daisies, they need the crisp air of winter and the fluffy snow on their leaves to grow. Professor Sprout brought them in for me, and I just _adore_ them." She replied with a smile, standing up. Hermione looked confused, as she stared at the _Contrarius _Daisies. Leslie stifled a grin. _Can it be that Hermione doesn't know something about magic?_

"When did you learn about _Contrarius _Daisies, Professor Wizzie?" Hermione asked, trying really hard not to let it show that she was just as much confused by the concept of daisies growing in the winter as the rest of them were.

"Oh dear me, that must have been 6th year Herbology, here at Hogwarts of course. Everything I've ever needed to know about the magical world I've learned here at Hogwarts. Oh, those were the most wonderful seven years of my life, you know. But...it wasn't always pleasurable. You know, I did have my stressful moments." She said with a bit of a sigh. "I've always had my eyes on Severus, er, Professor Snape, but fifth year, I met Remus Lupin. I can't tell you how handsome he looked, sitting by the Black Lake with his three friends, reading his textbooks while his friends goofed off. His friends were right foul cruel, mind you, the way they treated Severus, but not Remus, he just sat under his tree, laughing along with his friends, but never hurting Sevvie in any way. You know, I dont think old Severus would appreciate me saying this, but Remus was always so kind to me. You know, once, he brought me a bouquet of daisies from his trip into Hogsmeade one Christmas. They were decked with holly and mistletoe, but shy old Remus never stuck around. He chose to hang around with his friends more than trying to get involved with me. I suppose Peter, Sirius and James were more important to him at the time." Wizzie continued. As boring as this one-sided conversation had been so far, Harry's head immediately jumped up at the sound of his father's name.

"James? You don't by any chance mean James Potter, do you?" He asked, with a bit of a quaver in his voice. Leslie smiled eagerly. Harry enjoyed so much hearing about his parents, and their time at Hogwarts, and now there was someone right here who had gone to school with Harry's dad.

"Oh my good gracious, Harry, I would have never made the connection. Honestly, I can be so daft sometimes. James Potter, he was your father, of course! My, you look just like him. Yes, he, Sirius, Peter and Remus were inseparable. I never saw them apart from each other, I-" Harry didn't let her finish, as he ran off toward the castle with a smile. Leslie sighed, knowing where he was headed.

"Thanks Professor." Leslie said quickly, and ran off after Harry, with Hermione and Ron right behind her.

"Ahem, right, well, I'll just get back to my daisies then." They faintly heard Wizzie call after them.

* * *

"Leslie, sorry, I didn't realize you were following me." Harry panted, moments later as they were nearly at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Leslie tried to catch her breath.

"I've only been trying to catch up since you ran off in a hurry from Wizzie's garden. Hermione and Ron went back to the common room. Hermione said you could fill them in later, because Ron's got his Muggle Studies essay that still needs to be done and Hermione stupidly offered to help him again." Leslie rolled her eyes, never understanding why Hermione was always so eager to help the boys get their homework done when they showed no effort to do it themselves. Harry shrugged.

"Sorry Leslie, I just really want to talk to Professor Lupin. He knew my dad. I want to find out what I can." He said excitedly. Leslie grinned.

"Well then, let's go!" She said and the two ran into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Professor Lupin was closing up the old wardrobe that was holding the Boggart. Leslie trembled.

"Hello Harry, Leslie. Oh Leslie, I do hope you've come to try and face your Boggart." Professor Lupin said with an eager grin. Leslie sighed and shook her head.

"Not today, Professor, no." She said, feeling ashamed. Lupin didn't even have a chance to respond, as Harry immediately interrupted.

"Professor Wizzie told us today you were friends with my father. James, James Potter." He said quickly, and felt himself grow even more excited as Lupin smiled fondly.

"Ah yes, Harry, James was one of my very best friends. We knew each other all throughout our years at Hogwarts, you know. I watched him at every Quidditch game; he was the Gryffindor Seeker too, but I'm sure you already knew that. He was always there for the three of us, accepted us, even though we were all so...well...different." Lupin said quietly. Leslie smiled sideways at Harry. She couldn't believe how similar Harry was to his father. As Lupin was talking, it was almost as though he were talking about Harry himself. He had accepted her, a social outcast in her world, to be his friend, and he never once thought she was weird or strange, like everyone else once had. That was why Harry was one of her best friends.

"We used to sit by the Black Lake, the four of us. James, in our older years, did a lot of flirting with the girls, one in particular. Your mother, Lily. He was quite the smooth talker." Lupin said. Leslie felt herself blushing as she glanced sideways at Harry.

"Of course, he did tease me at times. I was very much a bookworm. So while he was goofing off with Sirius, I would sit by the lake and read my textbooks and James would call me names, but it was all in good fun. We had ourselves a little hideaway that we would often sneak off to at night. Well, that was James' idea, of course. He seemed to have a certain knack for getting himself into trouble." Lupin eyed Harry and Leslie both, no doubt hearing the stories about their previous two years' adventures. Harry smiled, and Leslie giggled.

"When did the two of you meet?" Harry asked eagerly, now taking a seat at one of the desks. Leslie joined him, as Lupin smiled.

"We all met in the Gryffindor tower the first night of our first year. The four of us shared a dormitory, and well, I guess you could say we just hit it off. Mind you, we all came from different backgrounds, and different bloodlines, but none of us really cared at the time." Lupin replied, smiling fondly at the memories.

"Sir, you said there were four of you all together. Where are those other two friends? Sirius and Peter? What are they doing nowadays?" Leslie asked curiously, nearly as captivated by Lupin's memories as Harry was.

Lupin's smile disappeared quickly, as a sense of despair seemed to cross his face, and Leslie knew she had touched on a sensitive area. She swallowed.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, Leslie, no need to apologize, my dear, it's quite all right. It's just saddening to think about my dear friend Sirius, all locked away like that." Lupin said, looking away. Harry puckered his brow, after a quick glance at Leslie.

"Locked away?" He asked. Lupin nodded, and then looked at Harry, almost admiringly.

"You know Harry, I think you would have liked him. I know your father did. That was why he and Lily asked Sirius to be your Godfather." He revealed. Harry eyes widened immediately, as Leslie stared at Lupin.

"My...my Godfather?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, well, not that it matters now, does it? Now that Sirius has been in Azkaban for 12 years." Lupin answered, obviously saddened by this.

"But sir, _why_ is he in Azkaban? Why would they lock him up for 12 years? I just can't imagine anyone who my father would befriend would do something that would earn him that long in prison." Harry pointed out. Lupin smiled a little, and shook his head.

"You know, no matter what they've convicted that man of, _I_ know he's innocent. My good friend Sirius is innocent, and I believe that with all of my heart. That's not what everybody else believes, however. The story goes that Sirius was a Deatheater, and murdered Peter Pettigrew." He said. Leslie swallowed.

"Peter Pettigrew? You mean, your _other_ friend from school?" She asked.

Lupin nodded.

"There's no proof, you know, but I just _cannot _accept that Sirius would _kill_ another human being, let alone betray his best friends." He said.

"Wait, betray his friends? What did Sirius do to betray his friends?" Harry asked, standing up now.

Lupin looked like he was caught in a trap. Leslie noticed the way he was looking at Harry, with sympathy in his eyes. Leslie knew right away that Lupin had said more than he had wanted to.

"Well, isn't it a betrayal of sorts to kill one of your own friends from school? Sirius Black was a very loyal friend, and I do not believed he killed Pettigrew." Lupin said, and before Harry could question him further, he went on. "Now if you'll excuse me children, I must plan tomorrow's lesson. Leslie, I do hope you'll be back soon to meet your Boggart again." With that, Lupin turned and went back into his office, closing the door behind him before Leslie or Harry could say another word.

Harry and Leslie were left dumbfounded, but Leslie shrugged.

"That's cool, isn't it? Having one of your dad's very best friends here at Hogwarts?" She asked, trying to change the subject, but Harry didn't look amused.

"He's not saying something." Harry pointed out.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Leslie asked.

"There's more to this story about Sirius Black then he's letting on about. Did you _see_ the way he looked at me when I asked him about Sirius' betrayal? I don't buy the answer he tried to fish out. There's _more_ to why Sirius is in Azkaban. And if he truly _is_ my Godfather, then I _deserve _to know what it is!" Harry ran from the room. Leslie rolled her eyes and ran after him.

"Wait, Harry, where are you going?" She asked, trying to keep up with Harry's quick strides.

"The library." Harry replied. Leslie had to laugh a little, as they turned a corner.

"Hermione's taught you well." She said, but Harry didn't answer.

* * *

Leslie felt exhausted, as Harry looked through old copies of the Daily Prophet from twelve years ago, looking for any information about Sirius Black. As Leslie stifled a yawn, she wondered if Harry was _ever_ going to find anything. They had been at this for at _least_ an hour now, and the Quidditch tryouts seemed like _ages_ ago now.

As Leslie was about to rest her head down on the table, Harry smashed his fist down in anger, and Leslie jumped back.

"Whizbees, Harry, what is your problem?" She snapped, breathing out quickly. Harry shook his head, as he breathed out through his teeth. Leslie swallowed; she knew that look. Harry was angry.

"He did it! He's a foul, loathsome murderer and he deserves to _die!_" He shouted out, as he banged his fist against the desk again. Before Leslie could ask, Madame Pince, the librarian shushed him angrily from her desk. Harry angrily sat himself down in his chair as he fought of tears of hatred. Leslie swallowed.

"What did you find, Harry?" She asked quietly.

"He did it! Sirius Black! He's the reason my parents are _dead!_" Harry hissed through his teeth. Leslie puckered her brow as she tried to look at the paper underneath Harry's fists.

"Hang on, I thought Sirius was in prison for killing Peter Pettigrew." Leslie commented.

"Yeah, well, according to this, Sirius _was_ a Deatheater, and he _sold_ my parents to Voldemort!" Harry shouted. At the mention of Voldemort's name, Madame Pince gasped and chased Harry and Leslie from the library in a huff. Once outside of the library, Leslie questioned him further.

"What do you mean, he _sold_ them?" She asked, as they walked down the hallway.

"He _betrayed_ them! He told Voldemort where they lived, and Voldemort went there, and _killed_ my parents! Sirius Black is the reason they're _dead_!" Harry shouted, as he punched the wall. Leslie backed away, never seeing Harry as angry as this.

"Harry, er, listen, I know you're upset, but, Sirius Black is your _Godfather._ Professor Lupin just told you that. Besides, you're getting your information from the Daily Prophet from 12 years ago. How do you know it's truth? Professor Lupin was a good friend of your fathers _and_ Sirius Black, and _he_ believes Black is innocent! If they were all such good friends, doesn't that mean something to you?" She asked. Harry shook his head angrily.

"He's no _Godfather_ of mine, Leslie. God, he killed my parents! I hope he rots in Azkaban for life!" He took off without another word, running down the corridor, leaving Leslie shocked at her best friend's outburst. She had never seen Harry this angry before. It was actually _scaring_ her, how different he seemed when he was angry.

Leslie continued down the corridor by herself, making her way to the common room, hoping Harry's anger would lift by morning.


	13. Detention with Wizzie

Harry's mood hadn't improved the next morning, or for the next few days either. Leslie was growing incredibly frustrated with Harry's sour attitude toward everything. All Harry talked about anymore was Sirius Black and how he was the man responsible for the death of his parents. Nothing Hermione, Ron and Leslie could say would sway Harry's opinion. Ron, Leslie and Hermione didn't even know how to approach Harry anymore, he just got angry about everything, and snappy. They'd learned quickly to listen to Harry's outbursts with a grain of salt, but still, they agreed, they didn't like Harry this way at all.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Leslie arrived at their Transfiguration class with Ron and Hermione. Harry had walked to class on his own, sulking and muttering to himself incoherently. Shrugging, Hermione and Leslie had a seat at their desk, as Ron hesitantly took the seat next to Harry, who didn't say a word, or even acknowledge his best friends' presence. Leslie rolled her eyes, unsure of how much more she could take of Harry's bad attitude. Even at Quidditch practice the night before, he'd been off. Leslie was even sure she heard Harry curse under his breath when he missed the Snitch the first time. _He'd better get himself together before Saturday. Wood won't be happy if we lose to Hufflepuff because Harry's in a foul mood._

Leslie opened up her Transfiguration textbook to Chapter Four: _A Practical Approach To the Proper Transfiguration of Large Objects._ She sighed.

"Good morning, class." Professor McGonagall said from the front of the classroom, as she stood next to a lampstand.

"Good morning, Professor." The students groaned back.

"I trust you have all read Chapter Four of _Transfiguration Techniques_. Today, I want you to get into partners and attempt to transfigure a lampstand into a hula hoop." Professor McGonagall said, as she used her wand to move her collection of lampstands to each desk. Leslie slumped in her seat.

"Whizbees, I can't stand this class." She muttered under her breath. The more she learned about Transfiguration, the less practical it seemed.

* * *

"Leslie, concentrate! If you can't visualize the lampstand _becoming_ a hula hoop, you've already failed." Hermione scolded as she shook her head. Leslie sighed angrily.

"Pointless." Was all she said.

"That kind of attitude won't win you any points with Professor McGonagall. You do want to pass this class, don't you?" Hermione asked. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"No, Hermione. I want to fail it so I can be stuck in third year Transfiguration _forever._" She said sarcastically, moving her wand in the pattern she had been taught. "_Elucubro Trochus."_

Nothing.

"Leslie, you need to say it with some feeling, like you actually _believe_ it can happen. Watch." Hermione lifted her wand. "_Elucobro Trochus!"_ She said it cheerfully, and the lampstand folded itself into a round shape, and rolled away as a purple hula hoop. Leslie watched it resentfully.

"It's not about belief, Hermione. Of course I believe it can happen. It's magic. Not to mention I just _saw_ a hula hoop roll away. It's just stupid. When will I ever need to use Transfiguration in real life?" Leslie asked as she crossed her arms.

It was then that the bell rang for lunch, and Leslie breathed a sigh of relief. _Finally_. She thought to herself as she shut her textbook, and placed it in her bag.

"Leslie, may I see you for a moment please?" Professor McGonagall said suddenly, and Leslie's heart skipped a beat. She had hoped her grandmother wouldn't have noticed her absence at last night's Transfiguration lesson. Leslie had gone to Quidditch practice instead, and never even bothered to contact her grandmother to let her know.

Once the students had filed out of the classroom, Professor McGonagall lowered herself in her chair, staring squarely at Leslie.

"Where were you last night, Leslie?" She asked sternly. Leslie shifted her feet, a bad habit she had when she was nervous.

"Er..."

"It had better be good, young lady. I have things to do, you know. Teaching you Transfiguration on the side is an added load that I did not expect to have this year, and I expect you to respect that." McGonagall said with raised eyebrows. Leslie swallowed. Quidditch practice would not be a sufficient excuse to Professor McGonagall; Leslie knew that. Still, she couldn't lie to her grandmother, especially because she _was_ the head of Gryffindor house, and probably already knew there was a Quidditch practice the previous night.

Leslie swallowed.

"I was at practice, Professor. For Quidditch. We have a game on Saturday." She said meekly, staring at the ground. There was silence for a long while, as Leslie never looked up once.

"I would not have minded moving our Transfiguration lessons to another night, or even postponing them for a week, but I do _expect_ to be made aware of your schedule, so that I do not sit here stupidly, waiting for my granddaughter to be on time." McGonagall said.

"Yes, Professor. I'm sorry. I guess I was just excited about making the team, and everything." Leslie said, with a bit of a smile. McGonagall sighed, and her lips curved into what could have almost been a grin.

"Just like my brother. Your great uncle, Herbert. Back in our day at Hogwarts, he was the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain. Very dedicated to the sport, you know. Mind you, he did prioritize his time a little better." McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter, who blushed a little.

"You are excused this time, but do not make a habit out of this. If you have a Quidditch practice on a Tuesday night, make me aware so we can make other arrangements. Your passing this class is essential, and I am determined to get this material into that head of yours." McGonagall explained. Leslie shrugged.

"It won't matter anyway, if I don't pass Defense Against the Dark Arts." She said quietly.

"You still haven't been to Professor Lupin to face your Boggart then, I take it?" McGonagall asked. Leslie shook her head.

"I've heard people talking. They think I'm just a big baby, you know. I'm the only one who hasn't been able to face my Boggart. Everybody thinks I'm just afraid of a Muggle couple. They don't know the truth. Only my friends do. And you." She sighed. "I guess it is pretty silly though."

"It is not silly at all, Leslie. It makes very much sense that your biggest fear is for all of this to be taken away from you. Neither your mother or your father wanted you to even know about this, _any_ of this. It's to be expected your Boggart would take the form of the people who were the most dead set against you pursuing your education as a witch. Nevertheless, I do hope you'll pay a visit to Professor Lupin soon. You fared very well in Defense Against the Dark Arts last year, and I know you are doing a fine job keeping your marks up again this year, but facing the Boggart is essential for moving on to fourth year, so I do hope you'll consider that." McGonagall said. Leslie only nodded, knowing all of this was true, hearing it again and again from her grandmother, Hermione and Professor Lupin himself.

"Now, off you go to lunch." Professor McGonagall offered a small smile. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Leslie."

* * *

She hadn't, thanks to Muggle Studies.

Harry hadn't said anything at lunch, he just ate his food quickly, and left without a word.

"He'wll be fwine." Ron said, as he took a big bite out of his tuna fish sandwich. "Itf's a gwuy fing." Hermione and Leslie rolled their eyes.

They arrived at their Muggle Studies class, and Leslie sighed, wondering what Muggle artefact Wizzie could screw up today.

Right away, Leslie noticed that Professor Wizengamut seemed off. She wasn't smiling, and she didn't greet individual students as she walked in, as she usually did.

She stared at the students when she got to the front of the classroom.

"Right, well, here we all are again, aren't we?" She said, a smile finally crossing her lips. Leslie puckered her brow. It didn't seem like Wizzie's usual smile. "Ready for another wonderful lesson on the lives of our friends, the Muggles?"

As she began handing out photographs of a rubber duck, Ron turned around to face the girls.

"Is it just me, or does Professor Wizzie not seem like herself today?" Leslie asked quietly. Hermione shrugged.

"Perhaps she's ill or something." She said.

"Maybe the Black Fog got to her." Ron said with a laugh. Leslie glared at him.

"That's not funny, Ron." She snapped. Hermione shook her head.

"She's probably just sick." She said again.

"Or maybe she got into a row with 'Sevvy." Leslie added, rolling her eyes. She wanted to ask Harry what he thought, but Harry was facing the front of the room, not joining in on their conversation. Leslie was beginning to miss the old Harry.

"Right, today, we are learning about the rubber duck, and theories as to what it's use is. I expect you to take notes." Wizzie began reciting her lecture. "The first theorist who addressed the issue of the Muggle rubber duck is a witch by the name of Benjamina Whooper, who, in 1693, became a nanny for a wealthy British Muggle family. Upon helping one of the children with their daily bath, it was then that Benjamina first watched the interaction between Muggle child and rubber duck."

Leslie sighed, as she struggled to keep up with Wizzie's lecture on rubber duck theories. They were all mad, she thought, writing them down. Benjamina Whooper in 1693 theorized a rubber duck was a communication device for the child to enhance their speech. Francois Burgois in 1894 guessed a rubber duck was an invention that aided children from slipping in the bathtub. He thought the duck released some kind of chemical that coated the bathtub floor. Leslie thought this was all ridiculous.

As she struggled to keep up with Wizzie's names and dates, her quill snapped in half.

"Whizbees!" She muttered, as she reached into her bag for a new one.

"Ms. Perks, detention for talking out in class. See me tonight after dinner." Professor Wizengamut said suddenly, causing Leslie to jump up.

"Professor, I'm sorry, my quill broke. I was just going to get another one." Leslie tried.

"You can tell me all about tonight, after dinner." Wizzie turned back to the blackboard. "Now, Eleanor Jummerson, in 1943, however..."

Leslie stared at Hermione in shock, even Ron turned his head to stare at Leslie in surprise. Professor Wizzie was not one to give detentions often. She really _must_ be sick.

* * *

"Bloody hell. A detention with Wizzie! Hell just froze over." Ron said in amazement as he, Hermione, Leslie and Harry walked toward their next class. Leslie shook her head.

"She must be cranky about something." She said quietly.

"Anybody who's seeing Snape on the side _would_ be cranky." Ron added.

"Anyway, I'm sure it will be completely painless, Leslie. It _is_ Wizzie, after all." Hermione said, looking at it in a better light. Leslie shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right. Remember last year?" She asked, recalling the fist fight she had gotten into with Gabrielle Sorcer. They had been caught by Wizzie and Snape, and the only reason Leslie hadn't gotten into trouble, and the only reason why her grandmother hadn't found out was because Professor Wizzie had let her off the hook, and kept the whole thing a secret.

"So she'll probably just say, 'don't do it again, Leslie.' It will be over before I know it." Leslie said, continuing on toward Potions class. "Now, why don't we see if Snape is in a sour mood too." Ron laughed.

"Do you really expect anything different from him?"

* * *

"Anyway, there's no _way_ you won't beat Hufflepuff on Saturday! I don't think Gryffindor has lost a match against Hufflepuff since _I've_ been here anyway." Ron said, as he shoved a spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. Leslie sighed.

"That doesn't make me any less nervous, Ron. It _is_ my first game, after all. How do I know I'll be any good under pressure? Everyone's going to be watching the newest player. They want to see if I'll screw up." She said.

"Don't talk like that, Leslie. Nobody's going to be paying that much attention to you. They'll be watching the whole game." Hermione tried. Ron stifled a laugh.

"Hermione, come off of it. Don't you remember when whats-his-face from Ravenclaw became the new Keeper last year? Everyone blamed him for weeks after they lost their match against Slytherin." He said, earning him a sharp elbow in the ribs from Hermione. Leslie sulked, and looked up at Harry, wishing he would say something encouraging, like he always did when it came to Quidditch. He was silent.

"Harry, how do you think the team will do on Saturday?" Leslie tried, hoping for the best. All she got was a shrug from Harry, who continued to eat quickly. Sighing, Leslie placed her napkin on the table.

"I'm going to get this detention over with." She said, eyeing Harry angrily. "I'll see you guys back in the common room."

* * *

Walking down the corridors alone, she thought about Harry, and how she could possibly help him. She didn't know what to believe. Sure, the tabloids said that Sirius Black had been the one responsible for the death of Peter Pettigrew, and the betrayal of James and Lily Potter, but why was Professor Lupin so sure he was innocent? After all, they had been best friends. _If anyone tried to tell me that Harry was a cold-hearted murderer, I would never believe them, no matter _what_ the newspapers said._

She rounded the corner, leading down to Professor Wizzie's office. She immediately heard voices coming from the office. Leslie slowed, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Don't fight your feelings, love, you know they are there." Wizzie swooned. Leslie rolled her eyes. _Great, she's with Snape. Could this day get any worse?_ She thought to herself. But the voice she heard next was not Professor Snape's. It was Professor Lupin's!

"Daisy, please, this is all very flattering, but may I remind you that you are seeing Severus?" He said quietly. Leslie clapped her hand over her mouth. _Professor Wizzie is charming Professor Lupin when she's with Snape?_ Something _was_ wrong with Wizzie today.

"Don't play games with me Remus. Everybody knows you had eyes for me during our days at Hogwarts. I was watching you all those times when you were down by the lake with your friends. I saw you glance over my way." Wizzie said in a singsong voice. Leslie thought she heard Professor Lupin clear his throat. She imagined him standing there, shuffling his feet anxiously, desperately thinking of any way to get out of this awkward situation.

Wizzie continued flirting with Leslie's Dark Arts professor, as Leslie, feeling embarrassed about walking in on something like this, knocked on Wizzie's office door.

It was Professor Lupin who opened the door.

"Ah, Leslie, yes, Dai-, er, Professor Wizengamut told me she was expecting you. Detention, yes? Well, do try to be more mindful in the future. On that note, I'm off. I've got to prepare for tomorrow's lessons for the fourth years. Goodbye." Lupin darted out of the office and seemed to be walking rather quickly up the corridor. Leslie watched him out of the corner of her eye. _I've never seen him like _that_ before. _She stopped herself from laughing. _Wait until I tell Harry._

The thought saddened her. Harry wouldn't care.

"Hello Leslie, you've made it. I trust you had a decent dinner?" Professor Wizzie asked, putting her arm around Leslie's shoulder and leading her into the office. Leslie nodded silently, as Wizzie pointed to a chair across from her desk. Leslie couldn't help but notice Professor Wizzie looked a bit pale. Maybe Hermione was right. Maybe she _was _ill.

"Not to worry, love," Professor Wizzie said, as she closed the door behind her, "This won't take long at all."

* * *

Ron looked over at Hermione, who had seated herself at a table near the window, murmuring to herself incomprehensibly. Ron shook his head. Hermione had the _strangest_ study habits. He, however, was seated comfortably by the fire in the Gryffindor common room, and was shuffling through his deck of wizard cards. He nearly had all of them. Now and then, Hermione would exhale loudly, and Ron would shoot a glare in her direction, but she never looked up. _Bloody hell._ He thought. _Where is Harry?_

They hadn't seen Harry since dinner. Neville Longbottom said he had gone up to the Quidditch pitch with his broomstick. Probably for some late night practice before their game on Saturday. _Or maybe to be alone._ Ron thought, hoping Harry would get over it soon. Of course, he didn't _blame_ the poor bloke. Finding out your parents had been murdered (or might as well have) by the man who was supposed to be their best friend, _and_ Harry's Godfather. _I'd be bloody ticked too._ Ron thought.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, do you _have_ to be so loud about that?" Ron finally blurted out, as he whipped his head toward Hermione. Hermione finally looked up at Ron with a look that could kill. Ron swallowed.

"Excuuuuse me, Mr. I-Won't-Do-My-Homework-Myself, but I am getting myself ahead for the term, so that I can have more time for extra reading on the side. I'm writing the Defense Against the Dark Arts essay that's due next month." Hermione announced. Ron's eyes went wide.

"Next _month!_ Hermione, you truly are _mad!"_ He cried, as they heard the portrait door open. Both thought it would be Harry, but were surprised to see Leslie so soon. Hermione puckered her brow.

"That was fast." She pointed out.

"Yeah, guess we were right about Wizzie's detentions. Must have been completely painless." Ron added. Leslie nodded. Hermione noticed Leslie's cheeks were a bit flush.

"How did it go, anyway?" Hermione asked, as Leslie took a seat across from her at the table. Leslie shrugged.

"It wasn't bad at all. Just like we thought it would be. It was just a warning. You know, 'now dear, don't speak out in class like that again, alright?' That was it. She didn't even take points away from Gryffindor." She said, with a bit of a grin.

"Good." Ron breathed out a sigh of relief, leaning back in the armchair.

"Leslie, you alright? You don't look so good." Hermione noticed, leaning forward a bit.

"Yeah, fine now. It was weird. I guess I blacked out at some point during the detention. It's funny, you know, I don't exactly _remember_ passing out, but when I woke up, Wizzie was there with a piece of chocolate, telling me I had just fainted." She laughed a little. "Oh well, you know it's probably just all the nerves of this upcoming Quidditch match on Saturday. I probably haven't been eating as much as I should be. I probably just got a little lightheaded, that's all."

"Should you go see Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione suggested. Leslie shook her head, waving her off.

"There's no need for that, Hermione. I probably just need some sleep." She replied. Hermione nodded, and turned her attention back to her paper, looking up at Leslie for a moment.

"Have _you _started?" She asked, motioning toward her paper. Leslie puckered her brow.

"Started what?" She wanted to know.

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts essay!" Hermione said, feeling exasperated. Leslie's eyes widened.

"When did Professor Lupin assign that? Why didn't I hear him? Did I miss something?" She asked. Ron stepped in.

"Yeah, the one that's due next _month!"_ He said, rolling his eyes. Leslie felt her shoulders relax as she glared at Hermione.

"Whizbees, Hermione, get me all worked up like that." She stood up. "I'm going to bed." As she walked up the stairs, she heard Ron mutter something incomprehensible, but it must have been something about the essay, because she heard Hermione slam her quill down on the table, and huffily say "Honestly, Ronald!"


	14. Quidditch

"Leslie, wake up! It's Saturday, don't you remember? You're playing Quidditch against Hufflepuff today! It's your first game, you'll want to get some breakfast, and don't forget to drink lots of pumpkin juice." Hermione's voice was the first thing Leslie heard that Saturday morning when she woke up from a very deep and disturbing sleep. All night, her dreams were filled with gathering black torrents of fog, gathering, and thickening. That was all she ever saw, but there was a gloomy feeling of despair.

Leslie forced herself out of bed, and rubbed her eyes. _Just a dream._ She thought, and when she mentioned it to Hermione, she wholeheartedly agreed.

"You're probably just hoping there's no bad weather for your first Quidditch game. Don't worry Leslie, it's supposed to be sunny all day." Hermione explained as she got dressed for the day, grabbing her scarf and robe to brace herself for the cool fall weather.

Leslie shrugged off the dream, and joined her friend, pulling out the new set of Chaser gloves that her grandmother had given her for her birthday and changing into her new Quidditch robes. She followed Hermione down through the crowds of students who were filing down for their morning breakfast. Leslie overheard many conversations between her peers, and they were all about the same thing.

"Hufflepuff has _got_ this!"

"No way, Gryffindor is the better team."

"Yeah, but Gryffindor has a new Chaser. Hufflepuff's players are all experienced. Gryffindor'll get crushed."

Leslie felt sick to her stomach.

"Ignore them, Leslie. I've seen you play Chaser, you'll be terrific. If you weren't, you wouldn't have made it on the team." Hermione said as they found their seats in the Great Hall moments later.

"Look up, Leslie. See that? No clouds. It's a clear day." Hermione said as she pointed up at the enchanted ceiling that reflected the outside's weather. Leslie breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Hermione had been right. That _must_ have been what her dream had been about.

Leslie noticed Harry and Ron were already seated at the Gryffindor table, eating away. Well, Ron was stuffing his face as usual, but Harry was sitting quietly with no plate of food in front of him. He had his usual sour face on, but Leslie still said a quick hello to him, hoping if she remained cheerful, he would soon come out of this funk he was in, and maybe even apologize for his bad mood as of late.

No such luck. Harry was still snippy and short. Leslie sighed, ignoring him as she took a sip of pumpkin juice. She immediately felt sick to her stomach.

"My stomach's killing me." She said to Hermione when she offered Leslie a slice of toast.

"Well, you _have_ to eat something. You're going to need the energy." Hermione scolded. Leslie shook her head, as she looked over at Harry. _Maybe he's just nervous about the game._ She thought, as he was snapping at Ron, who told him the strawberry tarts were wonderful this morning. Leslie shook her head. _This can't last forever._

"I'm going down to the field." Harry said finally, as he stood up quickly, pushing his empty plate away. Leslie stood as well.

"Me too. We'll see you guys up in the stands." She said with a weak smile.

"You'll be fine, Leslie. Don't be nervous." Hermione smiled back and moved over a bit to join Ron. Harry was already walking out of the Great Hall, and Leslie ran to catch up to him.

Harry didn't say a word as they walked out to the Quidditch pitch, which upset Leslie greatly. She had hoped for her first Quidditch game, Harry would have offered her some last minute advice and encouragement, but he walked on steadily, without so much as an encouraging nod. Leslie's stomach began to feel worse the closer they got to the field.

The rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was already in the change room when Harry and Leslie arrived. Oliver Wood clapped his hands together loudly.

"There you are, now the whole team's here. Bloody hell Harry, chin up, would you? You look right angry, you do. On second thought, _use_ that anger. Do whatever you have to do to beat those Hufflepuffs!" Wood cheered as the rest of the team punched the air with their hands, shouting whoops and hollers as they put on their gloves and grabbed their equipment. Leslie sighed as she found her broom already in the change room, since she had left it there the previous night after practice. Harry grabbed his own, and never said a word to anybody, even when they began talking to him.

They weren't waiting very long when Oliver stood up suddenly and raised his arms up in the air.

"Alright team, let's go and kick some Hufflepuff butt!" He led the team out of the Gryffindor change room, with everyone screaming and yelling, as they made their way onto the field.

Leslie's heart skipped a beat when she heard the crowd's screams and hollers. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her arm, and her stomach sank when she saw all the people in the stands. Funny, she thought, when she was cheering for Harry last year, the crowd didn't seem as large then.

She swallowed hard as Madame Hooch entered the pitch, and stood in the center of the field. Leslie could see the Hufflepuff team coming out of the other side.

"Now I want a nice, clean game." Madame Hooch pulled out a whistle. "Mount your brooms." Leslie did, and out of the corner of her eye, saw Harry do the same. He caught her glance, and Leslie offered a smile. Harry turned away without even acknowledging her. Leslie shook her head, and nearly missed the whistle, as she shot up in the sky, following behind Angelina and Katie, the other two Chasers. They had practiced passing all week, and Leslie felt comfortable with the older girls, but when the Quaffle was caught by Angelina, Leslie's whole body began to tremble.

Leslie dodged the Bludger, and avoided the Hufflepuff Beaters, as Angelina tossed the Quaffle to Katie. Leslie tried to keep her eyes sharp, watching Katie, and keeping her eye out for rogue Bludgers.

"Leslie!" Katie's voice rang through the air as the Quaffle flew through the air. Leslie caught it, and knew she would have to score. They were too close to the rings for her to be able to pass the Quaffle back to one of the girls without having a chance to score.

Leslie swerved to miss the Bludger, and threw the Quaffle with all her might toward the ringposts.

The Hufflepuff Keeper caught it and tossed it to another Hufflepuff player.

Leslie sighed. She had missed the goal.

"It's alright Leslie, we'll get 'em next time." Angelina yelled quickly as they flew off in the opposite direction. Leslie could do nothing but follow, and hope to try again.

"Oh, too bad, a miss for Gryffindor, and now Emerson from Hufflepuff has the Quaffle." Lee Jordan said, as he was doing a commentary on the game. Leslie tried to catch the Quaffle as it was passed between the Hufflepuff Chasers, but they were really good. Emerson, who had the Quaffle, did a strange trick on his broomstick, and shot the Quaffle right past Oliver Wood, and scored Hufflepuff's first goal.

"10 points to Hufflepuff!"

The game continued poorly. She couldn't understand why Angelina and Katie kept passing Leslie the Quaffle to score. Leslie herself scored twice, and Katie and Angelina both managed to score a few between the two of them, but Hufflepuff had already scored 20 goals on Wood, who was turning a lovely shade of red.

"This game is definitely in Hufflepuff's favour. 200 points Hufflepuff, 50 points Gryffindor. Hold on, what's that glittering...it's the Snitch! Diggory and Potter have gone for it!" Jordan's voice echoed through the stadium. Leslie sighed out as sweat beaded on her forehead. _Catch it, Harry, end this game._ She thought as she flew past Emerson, who had the Quaffle. She reached out to grab it, but he bumped her with his broomstick, causing her to lose her balance for a moment. She heard gasps throughout the stadium, but she got herself back on her broomstick, no problem, but it was too late.

"Another 10 points to Hufflepuff." Suddenly, a loud whistle was blowing from the ground. "That ends the game! Potter's caught the golden snitch!" Leslie smiled to herself, and realized the game was now tied. But then her stomach sank. That was _before_ Hufflepuff scored their last goal.

"Hufflepuff wins! 210 points Hufflepuff, 200 points Gryffindor. A close call." Lee's voice sounded disappointed and Leslie sighed as she landed her broomstick (fifteen feet away from the rest of the team). The Hufflepuff students were cheering loudly. Leslie chance a glance at Oliver Wood who stormed off without a word to anyone. Katie and Angelina joined Leslie.

"Don't look so down, mate." Angelina said, as she patted Leslie on the shoulder.

"Yeah, just a game. We were really close." Katie said with a smile. Leslie nodded. They were right, and not bad for her first game. She did score two goals against the Hufflepuff Keeper, who was a good Keeper. She would just have to practice extra hard to win the next match against Ravenclaw.

Leslie changed out of her robes in the changeroom, and noticed Harry changed very quickly and left the changeroom in a huff, without a word to anyone. Leslie rolled her eyes, getting right fed up with his attitude lately.

Leaving her broomstick behind in the Quidditch shed, she left the Quidditch pitch and saw Ron and Hermione waiting right outside. She joined them.

"Stupid Hufflepuffs. If they had scored one or two goals less." Ron scowled.

"Nevermind that, it's just a game." Hermione scolded.

"Just a game? Hermione, do you want to win the House Cup or not?" Ron yelled out. Hermione, rolling her eyes, turned to Leslie.

"You played very well for your first game." She looked around. "Where's Harry?"

"He left a few minutes ago. I thought you would have seen him." Leslie said. Hermione and Ron shook their heads.

"No, we just got here though." Ron said as he looked around.

"Well, I suppose we'd better go look for him." Hermione added, and the three of them walked away from the Quidditch pitch.

Leslie did feel upset that they lost her first Quidditch game, but she knew there would be more. At least Harry had caught the snitch, Gryffindor never would have heard the end of it if Hufflepuff won the game 360 to 50.

"There he is." Ron pointed, and Leslie saw that Harry was just in front of the castle, kicking the stone wall. Not violently, but as they drew closer, Leslie could see that Harry was angry. _As usual._ She thought, but she figured he was just upset about the game.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Leslie asked, knowing she would probably get nothing in response, but he was still her friend, after all, despite his recent attitude.

Harry's eyes shot up, and locked onto hers. Leslie recognized that look. It was the look he got before he blew up.

"In case you haven't noticed, we lost the game!" Harry shouted. Leslie jumped and stared at him.

"Of course I noticed, I was there, you recall!" She snapped back. Harry turned his whole body to face her.

"We would have won if you had been paying better attention. Honestly, I could have scored on that Keeper with my eyes closed, but you missed a million times!" He yelled. Leslie raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying we lost because of me? Whizbees Harry, give me a break! It was my first game!" She snapped back.

"In case you forgot, during _my_ first Quidditch game, I caught the snitch and won the game!"

"Well, if you had been paying attention to what was going on below you, you would have seen you should have waited to catch the snitch. You should have known we weren't caught up enough to catch the snitch!"

"It would have been fine if you had scored those goals, but you were just being a lazy git! I would have thought Gryffindor was a little more important to you then just flying around a field mindlessly!"

"At least I haven't been picking fights with my friends! That's something Malfoy would do! Maybe the Sorting Hat was right. You _would_ have done well in Slytherin!"

"Well, _you_ would have done well from the stands. Honestly, I don't even know why Wood would have picked you! The only reason he did was because the rest of the tryouts were sodding idiots. You fit right in!"

"Enough, Harry, you're taking things too far!" Hermione shouted, as she moved forward a bit. "This was Leslie's first game, you don't have to bite her head off!" Ron cleared his throat.

"Well, he has a point, though. Leslie _did_ miss quite a lot of shots." He said, avoiding looking at Leslie, who shot him a glare.

"Really? And what do _you_ know about playing Quidditch?" Hermione shouted to Ron.

The two of them continued to argue, while Harry threw more snide remarks toward Leslie.

"I don't know _what_ I was thinking, giving you advice and helping you practice. You don't know the first thing about playing Quidditch!"

"And you don't know the first thing about _me_!" Leslie snapped.

"I know enough to know you're a foul Quidditch player and a disgrace to the Gryffindor team. If Wood had any sense, he'd hold another tryout before the next game. If we keep _you_ on, we'll be slated for worst Quidditch team of the year!"

"If we get slated for _anything_, it will be for _your_ bad attitude!"

"I've got no bad attitude!"

"Oh please, Harry! You've been in a right, foul mood since you found out about Sirius Black. He's in Azkaban, and there's nothing you can do about it! So whatever rage issues you're having against the man his best friend believes is innocent, you should just drop them!" Leslie took a breath, still hearing Ron and Hermione rowing in the background. Harry stared at her and shook his head.

"You _would_ believe he's innocent! Anything to go against what I believe! Leslie, always trying to be a perfect know-it-all, wanting nothing more than to follow in Hermione's footsteps and be the best witch there is! Well, you're nothing close to it. You can't even face your Boggart! I faced a Boggart of Lord Voldemort, and you can't even face a pair of dead Muggles who want your wand!"

"Don't you talk about my parents! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Maybe you should have just stayed with them! Kept yourself away from the embarrassment of trying to be magical. You're failing Transfiguration, you can't face your Boggart, you can't land a broomstick and you rot at playing Quidditch! Maybe you should have never been a witch!"

Leslie, reacting out of pure anger, ripped her wand from her pocket and aimed it at Harry. Hermione and Ron stopped their fighting when they saw Harry pull his own out. Both Harry and Leslie faced each other, wands at the ready.

"Take that back, Harry, or I'll hex you!" Leslie yelled.

"That's rich. I bet the only hexes you know are from Standard Book of Spells, grade 1!"

"I can recite every hex from Standard Book of Spells, grade _3_, _in my sleep!_ I bet _you_ can't even pronounce them without Hermione's help!"

"Leslie, that's enough, let's go!" Hermione grabbed Leslie's arm, and pulled her away from Harry, who put his wand away, with a laugh. Ron stayed with Harry, and the boys began to talk, as the girls walked away.

"He-, I'm just so-, did you-" Leslie was fuming with anger, and couldn't even get out the words to express it, but Hermione knew, and Leslie knew Hermione was right furious for Ron for siding with Harry. Leslie was glad to have Hermione, who was sticking up for her, but as she turned and shot a glare at Harry, who laughed in her direction, she felt her blood boiling.

At that moment, she hoped she never had to see Harry Potter again.


	15. Halloween Day

"Can you believe those boys? Honestly, I think Ron has about the maturity of an amoeba!" Hermione snapped as the two girls were on their way to their Muggle Studies class that Halloween Monday morning. Leslie sighed loudly.

"I know, Harry too! It's _obvious_ we're not speaking to each other, they don't have to go on and make a show about it." She said, turning a corner. It was bad enough they had spent all of Sunday avoiding the boys. At mealtimes, Leslie and Hermione were stuck sitting with Pavarti and Lavender from their dormitory, while Harry and Ron sat where they normally all sat together with Fred, George, Ginny, Lee, Seamus, Dean and Neville. During the mealtimes, Leslie was sure pieces of pumpkin pie were being thrown at them from the other end of the Gryffindor table, but when they tried to steal a glance, Harry and Ron were deep in conversation with the rest of the Gryffindor students.

The common room had been no better. While Leslie and Hermione had tried to do their homework, several Gryffindor students had come to them, asking Leslie why she would sneak bottles of Firewhisky in the night before the Quidditch match.

"Who told you that?" She asked, feeling herself fuming. She wasn't at all surprised when she heard the answer.

"That's what Harry said. He said you were probably drunk, and that's why you played a foul game." Their peers were lucky they ran when they did, because Hermione had pulled her wand out, beginning to recite a hex she had learned.

That was what they had endured all day on Sunday, hearing rumors floating around about Leslie's poor performance at the Quidditch game, or having things chucked at them coincidentally only when Harry and Ron were around. Leslie and Hermione were choosing to ignore it as best as they could, but this morning, the boys had gone too far.

When the girls were leaving the Gryffindor common room for breakfast, they saw people crowding around the bulletin board. When they elbowed their way through the crowd, they saw the drawing that was posted.

An animated picture of a stick figure Leslie, flying around on a broomstick, bumping into walls, and landing in a heap of leaves was posted on the board. In the same drawing, a stick figure Hermione was watching, with a little caption above her head that read "I'm a know-it-all, and even I can't sort out Leslie's Quidditch woes."

Leslie had recognized the handwriting right away. There was no doubt about it. Ron and Harry had drawn the picture.

It was bad enough that it was posted in the Gryffindor common room, but as the girls had headed down for their breakfast, they saw that the same picture was posted in every corridor. Leslie and Hermione tried ignoring them, but it was difficult when every student who walked past them, gave a little point, and a giggle.

"It's low, that's what it is! They could have the guts to tell us what they _really_ think instead of having to draw stupid little pictures." Hermione snapped, as they entered their Muggle Studies classroom, to see that they were the first ones there. They found their seats.

"Come off it, Hermione. Those boys wouldn't know how to talk to us if they wrote a book about it." Leslie crossed her arms in a huff as the rest of the students filed into the classroom. Leslie and Hermione both avoided Harry and Ron as they came up to sit across from them. Leslie wanted to yell at Harry, demand how he could do this to her, because they were _supposed_ to be friends. _Forget it. It'd be like talking to a rock._

"Good morning students." Professor Wizzie said a few moments later, as the last of the students were finding their seats.

"Now, today, we are going to talk about pensills. Muggles use them as a means of writing, I suppose they are similar to our quills, but their pensills have a constant supply of, what they call, _lead. _Theorists have guessed the lead must be made from the liver of the Blast Ended Skrewt. Messy job, that would be, wouldn't it? This is the equivalent of our ink." Professor Wizzie began writing on the board, and Leslie sighed deeply, as she began to take notes she knew were wrong.

"Now, has anybody here ever used a Muggle pensill?" Wizzie asked. Leslie rolled her eyes, and raised her hand, feeling agitated. A few other students raised their hands too, Harry being one of them.

"Wonderful! Today, for a bit of a practical class, we are going to attempt to take our notes with pensills." Wizzie stared at Leslie uncertainly, because Leslie had never lowered her hand.

"Yes, Leslie? Did you have a comment you'd like to make about the Muggle pensills?" Wizzie asked. Leslie sighed, lowering her hand quickly.

"Yes, actually, it's _pencils_, not pensills. You're pronouncing it all wrong. And lead does _not_ come from the liver of _anything._ I'm pretty sure it's just a manmade substance." She said quickly. Hermione shot her a look, and Leslie knew Hermione was thinking _how dare you question a teacher like that?_

Professor Wizengamut looked equally surprised, and cleared her throat.

"Erm, well, alright Leslie, you are entitled to your opinion." She looked a little distracted before she turned back to the blackboard. "Anyhoo, pensills are also considered-"

Leslie threw her quill down angrily and shot a glare at Harry, who raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk. She stuck her tongue out and moped through the rest of Wizzie's lesson.

* * *

After class, Leslie began collecting her books and quills, as Hermione gave her a look that Leslie knew meant she would hear an earful about her outburst in class.

"Oh Leslie, dear, could you come here for a moment? Hermione, you can wait outside for your friend, this will only take a minute." Wizzie said. Hermione nodded, and raised an eyebrow at Leslie. Leslie sighed. Obviously Hermione approved of the lecture she was about to receive.

Leslie waited in front of Professor Wizzie's desk as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom, peering over their shoulders curiously. Everybody knew Wizzie wasn't one to give trouble or detentions, and now this was the _second_ time Leslie was getting spoken to.

"Leslie, you alright dear?" Wizzie asked when the last student left the classroom.

"Oh yes, professor, I'm fine. You know, once I got back to the common room after your detention, I felt much better. Honestly though, I've never passed out before. I must have been stressed out about the Quidditch game." She replied. Wizzie looked at her and puckered her brow.

"I'm sorry? _My_ detention?" She asked. Leslie nodded.

"Yeah, you remember. When I spoke out in class the other day. You asked me to come down for a detention after dinner." Leslie was feeling more and more confused as she watched Wizzie's blank expression.

"My goodness, Leslie." Wizzie shook her head. "I must be getting up there in the years. You know, the old memories' are going too. First Severus and now you as well."

"Sev-er, I mean, Professor Snape?" Leslie asked.

"Yes, he was sour with me, saying I was flirting with Professor Lupin. I can't imagine why he would think I would do such a thing, but Sevvy is quite adamant that he saw it happening." Wizzie sighed, as she saw Leslie's raised eyebrows. "Not to worry, my dear. Never you mind about me, I probably had a bout of the flu, or something. Just something made my memory go all wonky. Or worse, perhaps it is old age." Wizzie saw Leslie nod her head warily. "Anyway, when I asked if you were alright, I was referring to today. You just don't seem yourself, my dear."

Leslie sighed.

"I'm not, professor. Harry and I, well, we aren't exactly speaking to each other." She paused. "No, that's an understatement. We are right _hating_ each other right now. He's just been so _sour_ lately, and it really was too annoying. He snapped on me after the Quidditch game, and we got into a right foul row, and had our words. That was it, we haven't spoken since." As angry as she felt, Wizzie could see the look of sadness on Leslie's face.

"Oh Leslie, don't you worry about Harry. You know, when I was your age, I went though so many disagreements with my friends. We all thought we would never speak again, and they were the ones who remained my closest friends throughout my entire lifetime. I wouldn't let this get you down, my dear, friends do fight, you know. That makes their friendship that much stronger." Wizzie explained.

"Whizbees, professor, you should have _heard_ the horrible things he said to me. I can _never_ talk to that boy again, not until he offers me an apology!" Leslie snapped.

"Well, you know, Leslie, arguments go both ways." Wizzie said.

"I haven't said anything wrong though!" Leslie wasn't sure that was entirely true, but that was beside the point.

"Leslie, think about your friendship with Harry, ignoring this little row. Do you really want to lose a friendship that's lasted this long? Think of everything you've been through together. From what I can understand, you met before you even arrived at Hogwarts. You shared a common interest, coming from Muggle families and learning about the wizarding world together. You battled Professor Quirrel and You-Know-Who himself during your first year, you worked together through that, didn't you? Think long and hard about this, Leslie, before you decide to throw this friendship out forever." Wizzie said with a bit of a smile.

Leslie sighed, as the first thing that came into her mind was her Boggart. She had known all along what seeing her parents there, asking for her wand meant. It reflected Leslie's fear of losing everything she had here at Hogwarts. Her family, her magical abilities, and most importantly, her friends.

Leslie shared this with Wizzie, and Wizzie gave a hearty little laugh.

"Ah yes, the good old Boggart. Mind, at least your fear is _reasonable_, my dear. You have every right to be afraid to lose what you have, given what you told me about how things were _before_ you came here. I mean, bloody hell, my Boggart is _Inferi._" She said with a roll of her eyes. Leslie puckered her brow.

"_Inferi?_" She asked, never hearing that word before.

"Oh, you know, the living dead, I suppose Muggles refer to them as _zombies._ Oh nevermind, my dear. But don't worry, Leslie, I'm sure everything with Harry will work out. It will resolve itself soon." Wizzie replied. Leslie sighed, and crossed her arms.

"I doubt it." She sighed. "Look, it's not like I _want_ to lose his friendship. Whizbees, all I want is for him to just buck up and apologize! But oh no, he's too _good_ for that!" She rolled her eyes. Wizzie gave a light smile.

"Well, good luck, my dear." She sighed. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go find Severus, and try explaining, _once again_, that I have no memory of flirting with Remus. Good day, Leslie."

* * *

"No memory at all?" Hermione asked, as she and Leslie walked off toward the common room after their last class of the day. Leslie shrugged.

"None. She doesn't remember giving me a detention. She doesn't remember me blacking out. _And_ she doesn't remember the way she was flirting with Professor Lupin. I didn't have the heart to tell her I saw her doing it as well." She sighed.

"Maybe she had a bout of the _Oblivion Flu_. You've heard of it, haven't you? It kind of leaves the mind a little foggy in spots. I'm sure she'll be fine." Hermione said.

"And let's not forget Professor Wizzie isn't exactly the brightest professor at this school." Leslie added with a grin. Hermione smiled, knowing this was true.

As the girls turned a corner, Leslie came face to face with the one person she did _not_ want to run into, even more than Harry. Draco Malfoy.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy." Leslie said between gritted teeth.

"Ouch, Perks. The way you speak to people, you would have thought the Sorting Hat would have put you in Slytherin." Malfoy replied. "On second thought, you're wasted blood. Nevermind." Malfoy said with a sneer. Leslie barely heard Crabbe and Goyle laughing behind him. She just stared straight at her enemy, and swallowed.

"I _said, _get out of my way, _Malfoy!"_ Leslie said again, fingering her wand. She felt Hermione's hand on her wrist.

"Oh, by the way, I heard you and Potter had a falling out. Weasley and Granger too. I'd say I feel sorry for you, but I really don't. It's about time those two blokes decided to split with you two. Pure blood like theirs is already tainted for hanging out with you Mudbloods as long as they did, but at least that's over now." Malfoy laughed.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, MALFOY!" Leslie jerked her hand away from Hermione's hold and pointed her wand at Malfoy. "I mean it, Draco, I am _not_ afraid to hex you!"

For a second, Malfoy looked nervous, but then he gave a nervous little laugh.

"You've threatened to use that on me for the last two years, and you _still _haven't. If you were going to hex me, you would have done it already." Malfoy said with a laugh, and with that, he and his two goons walked past Leslie, who still had her wand raised, and she could feel her face turning red.

She didn't move for a little while, clenching her teeth tightly, as she could hear Malfoy's laughter echoing against the castle walls for what seemed like forever. She was sure it was echoing against her skull too.

"Leslie?" Hermione interrupted the silence, walking up beside Leslie, looking at her worriedly. "You alright?"

Leslie finally lowered her wand and exhaled slowly.

"I could have hexed him! One day, I'm sure I _will, _but you're right. My grandmother would have my head! I just can't control myself! I already hate Malfoy with a passion, and it doesn't help when Harry's being a right foul git too!" Leslie shoved her wand angrily in her pocket as she walked with Hermione toward the Gryffindor common room.

"Never mind Harry, Leslie. The boys are being stupid. Malfoy's just playing on that. He knows how to get to you. To _all_ of us." Hermione rolled her eyes. Leslie smiled to herself. Even though Hermione had a good head on her shoulders when it came to obeying the rules, it was still good to know there was someone else who hated Malfoy who was on her side.

"_Arca Ferculum._" Hermione said to the Fat Lady when they arrived at the Gryffindor common room. As the portrait swung open, Leslie peered around and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Ron and Harry were not there.

"What homework have you got to work on tonight?" Hermione asked, as she settled herself down at a free table. Leslie sighed.

"Dunno, I should probably work on my Astrology charts for next week, but then, I also need to practice transfiguring Jinxie into a pillow. Professor McGonagall expects me to at least be able to get rid of her tail." She said, as she plopped herself down and grabbed a hold of the Daily Prophet that was lying on the table. Hermione looked up from her Charms essay that was due next month.

"Anything newsworthy?" She asked with a sigh. Leslie puckered her brow as she read through the story.

"Oh Whizbees." She muttered quietly. Gaining Hermione's attention, Hermione shifted her chair over to sit next to Leslie, as Leslie read the story out loud.

MADNESS IN HOGSMEADE

It seems as though the witches and wizards of Hogsmeade are under a spell, a spell of insanity. Reports suggest that a type of madness is in the air, as many inhabitants of the town are acting "peculiar", according to friends and family alike. Sources report symptoms such as speaking incomprehensibly, talking with strangers as though familiar people, screaming, and casting spells and hexes on innocent civilians. When asked about their actions, the alleged insane deny the charges, claiming to have no memory of the events in question. As to the cause of this sudden burst of insanity within the town of Hogsmeade, the Ministry has not released any news. So far, possible rumors are including everything from the _Oblivion Flu_ to the Imperius Curse. This reporter remains neutral until further evidence is suggested.

"It's the fog, it _has_ to be. But why wouldn't the Ministry release that information?" Leslie asked. Hermione sighed.

"They don't want to cause a panic, an uproar. Most people are old enough to remember the days of Voldemort's reign. That must mean they remember the Black Fog, as a sign of a Deatheater's loyalty. I mean, it's not like the fog's exactly invisible, but most people will just believe it's a storm coming in. The Ministry has to keep their mouth shut on this, or people will begin to panic." She explained.

"If the Ministry hasn't released the news, then how come Dumbledore knew it was the Black Fog?" Leslie asked.

"Professor Dumbledore is the greatest wizard who ever lived! He'd know if the earth stopped spinning." Hermione replied. Leslie sighed.

"It's scary though, isn't it?" She asked, looking out the window to see distant patches of black clouds. She shuddered, remembering her nightmare.

"What is?" Hermione asked.

"To think, right now, someone is out there, conjuring this Black Fog. That means, somewhere out there, wherever he is, Voldemort knows he has loyal followers. What if he finds them? I mean, I know he doesn't have a body, but he can still be powerful, with the help of his followers. Look at what almost happened when he was using Professor Quirrel. Who _knows_ what Voldemort is capable of if he has followers to do as he pleases." Leslie shuddered. Hermione didn't say a word. She didn't have to. They both knew how powerful Voldemort had been, how he had killed Harry's parents, and went into hiding after he couldn't kill Harry.

As Leslie's thoughts turned to Harry, she felt irritation and anger rising up inside of her, and forgot all about the Black Fog, and Voldemort, as she ran to find Jinxie, who was hiding under the bed, having no intentions of being transfigured into a pillow.

* * *

The girls headed down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast after they had worked on some homework. It was no use, Leslie hadn't been able to find Jinxie, and had asked Hermione if she could borrow Crookshanks, but no matter how many times Leslie has tried to perform the spell, the best she could come up with was a fatter Crookshanks. At least she was able to finish her Astrology charts.

As they entered the Great Hall, they saw that Lavender and Parvati had saved the girls seats. Leslie sighed. Anger toward Harry hit an all-time high as she went to sit with Parvati and Lavender. All those girls would talk about was how great Professor Trelawney was, and how important the stars and planets were, and tea leaves. They talked about boys and gossiped about other girls in their classes. Leslie couldn't stand it. It was bad enough Harry was being a jerk, but why did the boys get to sit with Ginny, Fred and George? It wasn't fair! At least they had interesting things to talk about.

As Hermione feigned an interest in Parvati's discussion about Trelawney's theory of crystal ball reading, Leslie looked up to the head table to see Professor Wizzie sitting right in the middle of Snape and Lupin. Leslie remembered Wizzie's lack of memory about flirting with Professor Lupin, and this seemed quite obvious by the look on Wizzie's face. Whizbees, but she looked pale, sitting between the two men. It didn't help that Snape kept shooting Professor Lupin awful looks, as Wizzie turned to try and talk to Snape. Leslie watched, feeling sorry for Professor Wizzie, as Snape turned up his nose to her. _I hope that flu goes away soon. Poor Wizzie._ Leslie sighed to herself.

"What's going on?" Hermione turned to face Leslie, glad to engage in any conversation other than Divination. Leslie pointed out what she had noticed. Hermione shook her head.

"That _Oblivion _flu is horrid. I bet Snape is jealous. He probably thinks Wizzie will dump him and go for Lupin. Mind you, if I were in her position..."

"What if Ron was right?" Leslie asked suddenly. Hermione shot her a look, that said 'how dare you _speak _his name?'

"What on earth are you talking about? That boy couldn't be right about anything, even if his life depended on it." Hermione spat.

"He said maybe the Black Fog got to her. You don't suppose..."

"Oh come off it, Leslie! Ron's as thick as a rock. Besides, you read about the symptoms in the Daily Prophet. Wizzie's just forgetful, that's all." Hermione shot a hateful glare in Ron's direction, and Ron stuck his tongue out in response, causing Harry to laugh out loud. Leslie crossed her arms and glared at Harry squarely. He was being so immature, _both_ of them were. She couldn't understand why it was so hard for them to apologize. Then things would be right again. _Then things would be the way they're supposed to be._ She thought to herself sadly, but still, she stuck her tongue out at Harry, just as he was imitating her landing skills in front of everybody.

* * *

Whispers haunted her dreams that night, whispers she couldn't exactly make out. They were quiet, distant, behind the thick, black, billowing clouds that were gathering around her, a fog, and that same sense of dread was upon her, stronger than before.

Leslie was trapped, as the fog got thicker, the whispers became louder, but she still couldn't hear what they were saying.

She woke with a start, feeling sweat on her back. She saw she was in her bed, and everyone else in her dormitory was fast asleep. She sighed out loud. This was the second nightmare about the fog she'd had. _Nothing. It's nothing. You're just thinking about the Black Fog because of Wizzie. She just has the _Oblivion_ flu. You're going nuts about nothing._ She told herself. Still, as she tried to force herself back to sleep, she couldn't help but feel that same despair and dread that was present in her dream overwhelming her.


	16. The Magic In Leslie

"_Talaris Transformis_."Leslie muttered, less than enthusiastically as she pointed the wand at her robes. Nothing. Leslie sighed to herself, trying again, but the best she could do was get her buttons to turn a shade of pink.

Professor McGonagall had left her alone to practice the spell that was supposed to transfigure your robes to Muggle wear, while she went to run a few errands, but as Leslie sat alone in her grandmother's office, she couldn't help but feel discouraged.

Things had not gotten any better for Leslie over the past two weeks. She and Harry _still_ weren't speaking to each other. At least the boys were now just _ignoring _Leslie and Hermione, instead of insisting upon spreading nasty rumors and sticking their tongues out at them whenever they passed. But Leslie's anger had passed, for the most part, mostly she just missed Harry. She missed his Quidditch training, and she missed having someone to talk to about the game. Hermione tried to feign an interest, but it just wasn't her thing.

Leslie sighed to herself, thinking about Quidditch. Last week, they had played a match against Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor won by 400 points, but celebrating their victory just wasn't the same with Harry on the other side of the common room, ignoring her as usual.

"_TaLARis TransFORmis!" _Leslie shook her wand angrily, finally slamming it down on the desk when the robes wouldn't even change color. Professor McGonagall had entered at that moment.

"Frustration is not going to transfigure those robes, Ms. Perks." She said as she took a seat across from Leslie. Leslie sighed.

"Whizbees, when would _anyone_ have need to transfigure their robes?" She huffed. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

"Why Leslie, use your imagination, at least. Don't you think a witch or wizard would stand out in a Muggle crowd? This spell is used so witches or wizards don't draw attention to themselves. _Especially_ the ones on important missions, like the ones working for the Ministry, and such. Leslie, if you would just expand yourself, and imagine that transfiguration _is_ a useful subject, perhaps you'd do better. You were finally able to successfully transfigure your cat into a pillow, weren't you?" She asked. Leslie rolled her eyes.

"That's only because I was mad at her for scratching me earlier." She pouted.

"But you see? You _do_ have it in you, you just aren't trying hard enough. You've got to visualize the situations you would need these spells in. Transfiguring Jinxie into a pillow was easy for you that day because you were angry, and it was easy to imagine her as anything other than something with claws." Professor McGonagall replied. Leslie sighed heavily.

"Alright, enough lessons for tonight. But before you go, Leslie, how are things between you and Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"Just about the same. Oh, it just makes me so angry! I don't want to fight with him anymore, I just want things to be back to normal, you know, the way they were, but he's just gone and made it so difficult. I _refuse_ to apologize, I won't, because _I_ haven't done anything wrong. He was the one who insisted on being such a jerk. All he has to do is apologize and things would be fine, but if he expects me to come crawling back, begging for his friendship, he's delusional!" Leslie crossed her arms. A small smile spread across McGonagall's face.

"Leslie, dear, you are just as stubborn as your grandfather." She said. Leslie softened at the very mention of her grandfather. McGonagall had spoken of him a few times, her husband who was a Muggle, and died, leaving her grandmother a widowed witch.

"Tell me more about him, please?" Leslie asked with a bit of a smile. _Anything_ to get her mind off of Harry.

"I met your grandfather, Goodwin, at a press conference when I was just finished my schooling here at Hogwarts. I was working for the Ministry at the time, as an apprentice, and it was my job to report on this Muggle press conference. Goodwin was also working as an apprentice at the time, and we both had to report on the press conference. Of course, he didn't know I was a witch.

"We had dinner together, and hit it off right away. I had been going with him for only a short while when I finally told him the truth, that I was a witch." McGonagall said.

"How did he take the news?" Leslie asked.

"He was shocked, which was to be expected, but he became very interested, and I even brought him to Hogwarts to show him the school where I had learned it all. We were married almost a month later.

"Of course, once his family found out he was marrying a witch, they disowned him, cut him out of their lives completely, and so it was just the two of us. We were quite happy together, I'll have you know. It was difficult during the year, however, because I would be here at teaching, and he would be off on business trips for the Prime Minister. He retired eventually, and passed on shortly tschool,hereafter. He was the Prime Minister's assistant, I'll have you know. Of course, he had always dreamed of being a doctor, but unfortunately, he never stuck to his studies of biology while he was in school." Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter, and Leslie got the hint.

"Hey! I stick to my studies quite nicely. Besides, this is _different!_ When can you actually use Transfiguration for in a career?" She asked, crossing her arms in a bit of a huff.

"There are many things you can do with a strong background in Transfiguration, Leslie. For example, if you ever want to apply to become an _Animagus_, they look for high grades in all of your Transfiguration classes." McGonagall replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but I don't _want_ to become an _Animagus."_ She moped.

"Well, you may change your mind. I find it quite useful, you know. Prowling around the castle grounds at night can come in handy sometimes. I'm sure you don't even realize when I'm in the Gryffindor common room, making sure you're in bed at a decent time, or doing your homework like you're supposed to be. Believe it or not, I _am_ keeping my eye on you." Professor McGonagall said with a bit of a disapproving stare. Leslie blushed, wondering how she had missed the fact that a stray cat was wandering around in the common room at night.

Silence ensued for a moment, as Leslie thought about her grandfather, and how he was disowned from his family. She remembered Professor McGonagall's story from her first year, about how her mother, Professor McGonagall's own _daughter_ had disowned her, to keep her away from Leslie, so she would never learn the truth about where she had come from. The jealousy in her mother's heart at the concept of never being able to become a witch herself had caused so much family disunion. Leslie swallowed, remembering her Boggart.

"Professor, why didn't my mother, well, both my parents, you know, want me to learn magic?" Leslie asked, fingering her wand passionately.

"Well, I've already told you your mother wanted nothing more than to become a witch herself. Get her letter from Hogwarts and pick up right where I left off. Oh when she was a child, she'd run around the house, pretending to fly broomsticks, or cast little spells of her own, but I knew from the beginning she didn't have it in her. I tried to tell her, but she was adamantly convinced Hogwarts would send her a letter because she was the _daughter_ of a witch, and because of that, they would teach her. She didn't realize it was something you must be born with.

"Her letter from Hogwarts never came, and she eventually left and caught up with your father. You were born and when I came to meet you for the first time, I knew you had the magic in you, and I'm sure somehow your mother knew as well. She refused to let you have any part of it. So she refused to allow me to see you, or have any contact with you at all. I suppose it would have been too painful for her to imagine you home for the holidays from Hogwarts, practicing the spells she herself could never learn." McGonagall replied. Leslie sighed.

"I don't understand what the point was anyway. It's not like either of them were ever home, or ever made an effort to spend time with me. Why would they care?" She said in a bit of a huff. Professor McGonagall stared at her for a moment, considering what to say.

"My dear, your parents were wrong in what they did. Perhaps they feared growing too attached. Perhaps your mother thought you already knew you had the magic in you, and maybe that hurt her. I can't explain why they did the things they did, or why they made the choices they did, but none of that matters now, because you _are_ here now." She stated. Leslie sighed, tears filling her eyes.

"You know, I-I don't miss them. At all. I guess that makes me a horrid person, doesn't it?" She said, shaking her head.

"I understand your concern, but no Leslie, I do not believe it does. However, I think these things will continue to weigh on you until you face that Boggart of yours. You must stand up to your fears, and accept them as only that. Fears, and not truth." McGonagall replied. Leslie nodded, and offered a small smile.

"Now then, off you go. I expect you have homework to complete. I want you to continue practicing on transfiguring your textbook into a salt shaker. And Leslie," Professor McGonagall smirked a little as Leslie was standing to go, "Remember, I shall know if you haven't."

* * *

"More reports of madness then?" Leslie asked as she entered the common room through the Fat Lady to find Hermione by the fireplace, reading the Daily Prophet. Hermione sighed.

"Yes, what else is new? It's not even front page news anymore. They just have a section now where they just list names of people who have been affected. It's ridiculous! The Ministry is doing a fine job of making it seem like the Black Fog isn't serious, because they've a cure for the madness, and everyone who had it was cured, but they don't realize how dangerous it is. For one thing, Deatheaters are out there somewhere, just waiting for You-Know-Who to return to them, and another thing, there are still people out there who are mad from the Fog, and people don't know it yet. How long will they continue to go through bouts of insanity before someone takes notice? You heard what Dumbledore said, 'madness _can _be cured with the proper incantation, however, most times, the madness isn't recognized or caught until after unpleasant memories and hallucinations are left with the person forever.' What good is that?" She said with a sigh, throwing the newspaper down. "Anyway, how did your lessons go?" Leslie sighed.

"D'you ever notice a grey tabby cat up here at night?" She asked.

"What?" Hermione asked with puckered eyebrows.

"Nevermind." She paused. "What's this?" Leslie picked up an envelope that was lying next to the Daily Prophet.

"Oh right, that's from mum and dad. It's addressed to both of us." Hermione replied. Leslie opened the letter.

_Hermione and Leslie_,

_Greetings from London. We thought we should drop you a line to see if you've gone mad yet. Oh we're just joking. We've just been reading the Daily Prophet. Sad situation, I suppose. We aren't worried a bit about the two of you though, I know Professor Dumbledore always has a watchful eye on the lot of you. _

_Counting down the days until Christmas. Give our love to Harry and Ron._

_Mum and dad,_

_(Mr. and Mrs. Granger)._

Leslie looked up at Hermione with raised eyebrow.

"Give our love to Harry and Ron?" She asked. Hermione shrugged.

"I haven't told them." She replied. "But can you believe them? Even _they_ think this madness is one big joke."

"They just don't know the truth. Anyway, I suppose I'd better get cracking on transfiguring my books into salt shakers." As Leslie walked away, Hermione was sure she heard her muttering something about _Animagus.'_

* * *

Whispers filled her dreams again that night, louder than the usual. Torrents and torrents of black fog surrounding her, enclosing her, tightening around her. The whispers grew louder and louder, yet she still couldn't make them out. An overwhelming sense of despair and dread was upon her, but a new feeling too. Curiosity. What _were_ those whispers saying, and why? She wanted to reach out the fog, touch it, but a voice told her not to. The whispers grew louder, and louder, tempting her. The fog grew thicker, close enough for her to grab. The temptation was too strong. She reached out and touched the cloud in front of her.

The whispering stopped, silence surrounded her. She turned in a circle, and another and another. Where had they gone? Why had they stopped?

Then she heard it. A quiet whisper, a female voice, she was sure.

_Come to me._

* * *

Leslie woke with a start. She couldn't describe the feeling inside of her. That voice was so calming, so soothing, so consoling, so trustworthy. Leslie wanted nothing more than to meet the person behind the voice, go to her, meet her face to face. Why, she didn't know.

She swallowed hard, and attempted to go back to sleep, hoping she would go back to the same place, and dream the same dream, and hear the same voice. She found herself unable to fall back to sleep, but instead, laying awake, thinking about the dream, and beginning to wonder if that was all it was.

Just a dream.


	17. A Crummy Christmas

"Leslie, you're shivering, are you sure you don't want me to perform the _Focillo _charm on you?" Hermione asked as the two girls waited outside the castle for the carriages to arrive. Leslie shook her head.

"I'm fine, Hermione. I've been raised a Muggle, you know. I don't need a warming up charm." Leslie swore under her breath as a blast of cold wind hit her like a ton of bricks. "Never mind, do it."

After Hermione performed the spell, Leslie saw Harry and Ron out of the corner of her eye coming down the castle steps. She felt an immediate sense of sadness. Last Christmas holidays, the four of them had stood together, waiting for the carriages to arrive. Leslie knew Harry would be spending their Christmas holidays at the Burrow with the Weasleys. She watched sadly as the boys met up with Fred, George and Ginny, and began enchanting snowballs to hurl at one another while they waited. Leslie sighed.

"Leslie, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, and followed Leslie's gaze and saw the boys. She shook her head.

"Never mind them, Leslie. Harry and Ron are just being stupid. They'll come to their senses eventually." She said, but Leslie could tell that Hermione was just as upset as she was. As much as neither of the girls wanted to admit it, they missed the boys, and they hated that they weren't talking to each other. Things just didn't feel right, just the two of them. Throughout their first two years at Hogwarts, the four had been inseparable. Leslie felt as though a part of her were missing without Harry and Ron. Still, she was too proud to apologize; that was Harry's job.

"Here come the carriages." Hermione pointed down toward the gates where the enchanted carriages wheeled their way onto the Hogwarts grounds. Leslie sighed.

"I still can't believe how brilliant Dumbledore's been about this whole Black Fog thing. I heard he _even_ had the carriages, as well as the Hogwarts Express shielded with the _Incolumitas _charm, to block the Fog from getting to us." She said as she and Hermione hopped into an empty carriage.

"He thinks of everything. That's what makes him the greatest wizard who ever lived." Hermione agreed. As the girls were joined by Neville and his toad Trevor, Hermione lifted the _Focillo_ charm, as they were in the comfort of a heated carriage. Leslie stared out the iced windows to watch Harry and Ron get into a carriage with the other Weasley children. Leslie was sure she saw Harry glance in her direction, but she couldn't be sure. She had looked away too quickly.

* * *

Hours later, Leslie and Hermione felt the Hogwarts Express come to a stop in London. Leslie had been drifting in and out of sleep for the whole journey, her dreams still plaguing her with dark clouds and that whispering voice, that strangely calming voice. Still, she continued to ignore the strange urge to listen to the voice. _It's just a stupid dream._

"Come on Leslie, mum and dad will be waiting on the other side of the platform." Hermione called, as Leslie took one last look at the crowd of students coming off the train. She couldn't find Harry and Ron. _Whizbees, why do I care? _

Plagued with feelings of missing Harry, strange urges to listen to a voice in a dream, and the realization that her year was nearly half finished, and she _still_ hadn't faced her Boggart, nor done decently in Transfiguration so far, Leslie was slightly distracted when Mr. and Mrs. Granger approached the girls on the other side of Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Hello girls, you look wonderful!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed as she scooped her daughter into a big hug and Mr. Granger kissed the top of her head.

"Hi mum, hi dad." Hermione said with a grin. Mrs. Granger came over and gave Leslie a hug.

"Hello Leslie." She said with a big grin. Leslie managed a small smile.

"Hi Mrs. Granger." She said quietly. She allowed Mr. Granger to take her suitcase, and followed behind the Grangers with a sigh. As she was walking along, she felt her heart skip a beat as she saw a couple walking down the platform in her peripheral vision. She stopped and turned to stare at them, feeling her heart skip a beat. She breathed out slowly when she realized it was only a trick of her imagination. _It couldn't be them. They're dead._ She thought to herself. _I'm thinking too much about that stupid Boggart._

"Leslie, dear, aren't you coming?" Mrs. Granger called. Leslie took her eyes off the couple and followed close behind the Grangers one again. She sighed to herself, as she remembered how vivid that Boggart was in front of her, her parents demanding she give up magic, her friends, her family and her place in the world forever. _Just like they wanted to do when they were alive._ She thought resentfully, but that made her feel guilty. Normal people would miss their parents when they died, but Leslie never once missed them, and that made her feel like a horrible human being. _But they never cared about me. All they wanted was to hide me from the wizarding world, and ignore me because they thought I'd become like my grandmother. They didn't even _try_ to be my parents!_

Leslie sighed angrily as she slammed the car door shut. She sulked the whole drive back from King's Cross. Hermione didn't even try asking her what was wrong, for fear of having her head bitten off.

When they walked through the front door, Mr. Granger immediately dropped the girls' suitcases at the front door, while Mrs. Granger took the girls' coats and hung them in the closet.

"Oh Hermione, I would like you to tell me everything about this wonky Fog floating about Hogsmeade. Are you sure you are safe where you are? Has Dumbledore taken precautions?" Mr. Granger asked, as he and Hermione walked into the living room. Leslie sighed, and began to follow them, but Mrs. Granger put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you come up upstairs, Leslie, I'll help you unpack." She said. Leslie nodded.

"Sure, Mrs. Granger." She said quietly, as she took a hold of her suitcase and followed Hermione's mum up the stairs.

Once Leslie was in Hermione's bedroom, she pulled her suitcase up on her own bed and opened it up. She sighed with a bit of a laugh.

"I'm surprised I even managed to pack more than Hermione did." She said as she pulled out her pajamas. She was barely aware of Mrs. Granger crossing the room and closing Leslie's suitcase, taking a hold of Leslie's hand.

"Leslie dear, I didn't bring you up here to help you with your unpacking. Heavens, you're more than capable of doing that yourself. Sweetheart, I brought you up here because, well, you just don't seem like yourself. Are you alright? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Mrs. Granger asked. Leslie sighed.

"I'm alright, Mrs. Granger." She lied. Mrs. Granger raised an eyebrow, as she sat down on the bed.

"I don't believe you Leslie." She said with a bit of a smile. Leslie laughed a little and finally sat down.

"Well, Mrs. Granger, it's...it's Harry. We're not...well, we had this fight, see? And, well, we aren't talking anymore." Leslie said sadly.

"Oh dear, what happened? You two are great friends." Mrs. Granger said.

"We _were_ great friends, but his sour attitude ruined that!" Leslie exclaimed, but then sighed sadly. "I would never tell Harry this, but, well, I miss him. But I'm still so angry at him for the things he said to me. He insulted me, my parents...it's not fair! I didn't do anything wrong! _He_ should be the one to apologize for what he said, but just like a boy, he's avoiding me instead!" Leslie exclaimed as she crossed her arms.

"Leslie, maybe if you tried speaking to him, you would get the apology you want so badly. Maybe Harry just doesn't know how to approach you. Maybe he knows he hurt you and he's afraid to even come near you." Mrs. Granger replied. Leslie exhaled loudly.

"_He's_ the one who started this whole thing, Mrs. Granger! A _good_ friend would apologize without waiting for the other to come forward. That's just, well that's just being a coward, that is." She sighed. "Anyway, I'm just afraid I'm going to lose his friendship. He's one of my best friends, and what if he doesn't apologize? What if we're never friends again? I'm afraid of losing him...just like I'm afraid of losing _all_ of this." She felt tears in her eyes, but she stubbornly fought them away, as Mrs. Granger was silent for a moment, before she moved over a little and wrapped her arm around the young girl.

"Leslie, I don't understand what you mean. You said you're afraid of losing _all_ of this. Is there something else bothering you besides your fight with Harry?" She asked in a soothing voice. Leslie sighed, swallowing hard.

"My Boggart was...my Boggart is my parents." She said quietly. She waited for a moment while silence ensued, and when she looked up to see Mrs. Granger's blank stare, she continued.

"Oh right, sorry. A Boggart is a creature that transfigures itself into your greatest fear. It's a requirement for third year students to be able to face their Boggart and perform a spell to counteract it, but...I haven't been able to do it. If I don't do it by the end of the year...I'll fail the class. But I _can't do it!_ It's too _hard!_" She now felt the tears rolling down her cheeks, and immediately felt angry at herself for letting herself fall apart like this. Mrs. Granger didn't seem to mind at all.

"Leslie, you said your Boogert was your parents. Does that mean, you're afraid of _them?_" She asked. Leslie shook her head.

"No, but it's what they represent that I'm afraid of. Mrs. Granger, you know my parents were very much against magic. They tried so very hard to keep me away from all of that. The reason I see them in my Boggart is because I'm afraid of losing everything that I've had here. Losing magic, losing my friends, losing my grandmother, losing this new life that has been the happiest time of my life." She sighed. "Mrs. Granger, you know...I don't...I don't miss them very much."

"Who, Leslie?"

"My mum and dad. I suppose that makes me a horrible person, but-"

"Leslie, you are _not_ a horrible person! I know how life was for you before you went to Hogwarts. Your parents paid you no attention, which was very much unfair to you! They kept you away from your grandmother, who loved you dearly. I don't want you to feel guilty for not missing them. It's a difficult situation for you, dear. I understand how you must be feeling." Mrs. Granger squeezed Leslie tightly. Leslie managed a small smile.

"Whizbees, you, Mr. Granger and Hermione are more family than I've ever had before, and...now I've got my grandmother, and three very best friends. I don't want to lose _any_ of that. But now I'm losing Harry. I just, I just don't know what to do." Now Leslie really was crying, and she tried to turn her head away to hide the tears, but Mrs. Granger already noticed.

"Oh sweetheart, you have to understand something. You're not fighting this battle alone. You never are. First off, your grandmother isn't going to let you go that easily, and neither will Harry. Darling, your friends care for you a great deal. They'll be there for you when you need them the most." Mrs. Granger held closely. "You'll see."

* * *

_Come, come, Leslie, dear._

_Come to us..._

More black clouds surrounded her_._

_Come, come_

_Leslie_

_Leslie_

The clouds were growing thicker.

_Come to us, Leslie_

_Leslie, you must come_

_Come, Leslie_

Complete darkness.

_Come to us_

_Or lose...everything._

Leslie woke with a start, feeling sweat on her forehead. She felt sick to her stomach as she remembered the voice clearly. She didn't know what the voice was, or where she had to go, but she knew one thing for sure. If she didn't follow the voice, she would lose everything she held dear.

She wanted nothing more than to find the source of the voice. _Come to us._ But where? Leslie closed her eyes, desperate to fall back into sleep, hoping for more direction, and a place to go to find whoever was calling her. Maybe they knew why she couldn't face her Boggart. Maybe they could tell her if she would lose Harry forever. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew she would find answers, would find peace if she found these voices.

* * *

"Leslie, wake up, it's Christmas morning. Leslie, wake up!" Hermione was shaking her. Leslie mumbled something incomprehensible as Hermione began pulling on her arm.

"Come on! Mum and dad are already downstairs, and there's _loads_ of presents for us!" Hermione exclaimed. At the mention of presents, Leslie jumped up and grabbed her slippers, running ahead of Hermione, as the two girls rushed downstairs, where they were greeted with a bright flash.

"Ow!" Leslie yelped as she tripped down the last step.

"_Mum!_" Hermione whined, as she helped Leslie up. Mrs. Granger put the camera down.

"Sorry girls." She smiled. "Happy Christmas, have at it, then!" She pointed at the presents, and very soon, there was gift wrap covering the entire carpet. What a good haul this year, Leslie thought. Her grandmother sent her a book, entitled _Beating Your Boggart: Ten Tips In Overcoming Fear._ Leslie sighed, tossing the book aside angrily.

"It's a nice gesture, Leslie. Really, it wouldn't harm you to read it." Hermione hissed.

"Tell you what. _You_ read it, and tell me what I'm doing wrong." Leslie replied, as she grabbed her next gift.

Hermione had given her _Focillo_ Chaser gloves.

"They're charmed, of course. It's for when you have to play Quidditch during the cold season. They heat up, so your hands are always warm." Hermione explained. What a brilliant idea, Leslie smiled. She pondered whether there was anything magic couldn't do.

Hagrid had sent her his staple rock cakes, which literally were as hard as a rock. Every year when the four friends received these from Hagrid, they used them as door stoppers, or book ends. Mr. and Mrs. Granger gave Leslie enough toothbrushes and toothpaste to last her until the end of the term. They also gave her a stuffed elephant.

"Thank you." Leslie said, as she saw that had been her last gift. She frowned to herself, sighing quietly. It wasn't as though she had really _expected_ to see something from Harry under the tree, but she had hoped. She had hoped over the holidays, Harry would feel guilty for what he had done, and sent her a Christmas gift as an apology. Whizbees, Leslie had a gift for him, but it was buried at the bottom of her trunk. She wasn't about to send it, unless he apologized. _Harry, will we ever be friends again?_ She wondered to herself, as Mrs. Granger continued to snap pictures of the girls.

* * *

"Leslie, come _on._ You're so slow!" Hermione shouted, as Leslie struggled to put her boots on.

"Hermione, shut it! The snow isn't going anywhere!" Leslie yelled, as she fastened her last buckle, wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck, and followed Hermione outside.

"Have fun girls, and don't go too far. Dinner will be soon!" Mrs. Granger called after them. She watched with a smile out the front window, as Leslie formed a large snowball, and hurled it at Hermione, beginning a snowball fight. Mrs. Granger soon found Mr. Granger at her side, giving her a kiss.

"Happy Christmas, love." He said, sneaking his arm around her. She smiled at her husband.

"Happy Christmas to you too sweetheart." She replied, as the two watched the girls through the window.

"I don't know if it's just me, but, have you noticed something different about Leslie? I don't know, she just doesn't seem herself." Mr. Granger pointed out. Mrs. Granger nodded.

"It isn't just you, dear. She's having a bit of a hard time this term." She replied.

"Is she alright?"

"She will be. She's just feeling rather insecure right now. About losing her friends. She and Harry are fighting, and she fears she'll lose everything she holds dear. But it will all work out, I'm sure. You know, they _are_ teenagers now. I guess we should be getting used to fights and drama." She smiled, and Mr. Granger laughed.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." He stared at the window at the girls, and especially at his own daughter. "God, when did she grow up?"

* * *

The remainder of the Christmas holidays were mostly fun for Leslie. The nightmares had stopped for a period, and Leslie greatly enjoyed spending time with Hermione, and forgetting all about the boys, as hard as that was. There were times when Leslie would hurl a snowball at Hermione, and wish she could hear Harry's laugh.

The night before they were due back at Hogwarts, the nightmares returned. This time, stronger than ever. Not only was she hearing the voice clearly, recognizing it as a woman, but she was also beginning to make out a face.

_Leslie, you must come, dear._

_It is of grave importance._

_You will lose everything, unless you come._

_You cannot tell a soul._

_Or all will be lost._

_Don't be afraid, everything will be alright._

_Just come to me._

_I'll fix everything._

Leslie woke the next morning in a daze. Who was this woman? How could she fix it? How was she able to communicate through Leslie's dreams? _Maybe it really is just a dream. _Leslie thought, remembering what Hermione had said ages ago. Leslie sighed. _It can't be. It's too real. _

Leslie wasn't sure, but she knew it was her secret now. If she told anybody about it, she would lose everything.

* * *

Leslie stood quietly in the Granger's living room, holding Jinxie in her arms tightly. They would be traveling back to the school through the Floo network, and Leslie was waiting for her turn. Hermione was just finishing her goodbyes with her parents.

"Alright dear, a few more months more and you'll be home for the summer. Take care, and study hard." Mr. Granger said. Leslie rolled her eyes to herself. _As if Hermione would ever study soft._

"Be on your best behaviour, and stay out of that wizard town, alright? I hardly want to hear that one of you has been cursed, or hexed or something by some madman." Mrs. Granger said. Hermione sighed.

"Don't worry mum, trips into Hogsmeade have been cancelled until they solve the problem. We're safe at Hogwarts." She explained. Leslie sighed again. _That's what we thought last year too. Christopher..._Whizbees, she was feeling rotten.

"Leslie dear, you alright? You look a little pale." Mrs. Granger noticed. Leslie nodded quickly.

"Of course, I'm fine." She said quickly. She really wasn't. She was feeling rather angry. She knew whoever was sending those messages to her through her dreams could help her, but the bloody woman wouldn't tell her anything about where she was. _This is insane. Maybe it is just a dream. Maybe I'm just too obsessed over my Boggart and now I'm dreaming about it all too._

Hermione stepped into the fireplace, after a final hug from her mum and dad. With Crookshanks nuzzling around her ankle, and her suitcase beside her, Hermione took a handful of Floo Powder.

"Hogwarts!" She said clearly as she dropped the powder. Green flame engulfed her as she disappeared from the Granger's living room. Mr. and Mrs. Granger still gave a small cry, even if they had already seen it done once before. Being nonmagical, it would probably always be a shock to them.

"Well, thanks again for everything. See you in June." Leslie took a step forward before she felt a hand on her shoulder. Mrs. Granger turned her around to face her.

"Leslie, this row with Harry won't be forever. You'll see, before you know it, you two will be best friends again." She said with a wink. Leslie nodded, but somewhere inside of her told her that would never happen unless she sought out the woman in her dreams. _She_ had the answers, the key to ensuring her future in the magical world. How, she wasn't sure, but for some reason or another, it made sense.

Leslie gave Mr. and Mrs. Granger a quick hug, clung tightly to Jinxie, who began to scratch her arm slightly, as she wanted to play. Stepping into the fireplace, she grabbed a handful of the powder as Mr. Granger placed her suitcase beside her.

"Bye." Leslie said quietly.

"Take care dear." Mr. Granger said with a wave.

"Bye sweetheart." Mrs. Granger winked, as she blew the girl a kiss. Leslie sighed, and dropped the Floo Powder.

"Hogwarts." Green flame engulfed her, and the cooling sensation came over her as she twisted and turned quickly through the journey.

Somehow, she had managed to land a little more gracefully when she arrived in Professor McGonagall's office at Hogwarts than at Ron's earlier that year. But she was still covered in soot.

"_Abluo Talaris_." Leslie heard her grandmother say, and Leslie's robes were immediately cleaned off. Jinxie clawed Leslie's arm, and Leslie dropped her, as Jinxie ran to play with Crookshanks.

"Well, did you have a good holiday then?" McGonagall asked as she approached her grandmother. Leslie nodded. _For the most part._ She thought to herself. Sure the nightmares were plaguing her thoughts day and night, and she and Harry were still fighting, but throwing snowballs at Hermione had been fun.

"You received my gift, I presume?" McGonagall asked. Leslie nodded.

"Yes, it was lovely, thank you." She lied. _Honestly, a book about Boggarts. _

"Wonderful, I hope it will help you. I do not want to see anymore stains on your reports in the future. I will see to that." McGonagall replied. Leslie swallowed hard, nodding obediently.

As she and Hermione left McGonagall's office, Leslie forced herself to ignore the stinging in her eyes. Harry hated her, she was a coward, odd voices were calling to her and her grandmother had no faith in her.

She wondered at that moment if things could possibly get any worse.


	18. The Mirror of Erised

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Leslie asked meekly as she stayed behind one Wednesday in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Hermione went on ahead to Transfiguration and promised to explain to McGonagall that Leslie would be running a little late. Not that Leslie was eager to get to Transfiguration anyway. Her grandmother's lessons weren't helping her out any. It was already February and according to McGonagall, if she didn't improve in the subject soon, she would not be able to pass her final examination.

Harry was still ignoring her, as though they had never been friends to begin with. It was as though he had merely forgotten the fact that they had been friends for nearly three years. Had he forgotten their first train-ride into Hogsmeade together, both new to the wizarding world? Had he forgotten teaching her how to ride a broomstick? Had he forgotten the time they snuck into the library late at night with his invisibility cloak to find a book? Had he forgotten the times they had put their lives in danger? Had he forgotten how encouraging he had been for her to try out for Quidditch?

"Leslie, yes, I do hope your classes are going well." Professor Lupin said, snapping Leslie out of her thoughts, as she watched her professor approach her with a small smile. Leslie shrugged.

"Sure, they're fine, I suppose." She lied. Professor Lupin looked at her seriously for a moment before he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Leslie my dear, I don't like to have to bring this up, but have you given any more thought to facing your Boggart? You know, it's just right there in that wardrobe. All you have to do is say the word, and you can perform the spell and be done with it." He said, as he pointed toward the wardrobe. Leslie felt her stomach churn as she stared at the wardrobe, that familiar wardrobe. Everything she was afraid of, everything she had been desperate to run away from was behind those doors, even if it wasn't real. It didn't matter. She felt faint just thinking about it.

"I can't, professor." Leslie sighed, pulling away. "Look, I know how important it is. I know I can't pass this class unless I face that stup-, er, that Boggart, but it's just _impossible_ professor." Lupin sighed.

"You know Leslie, facing your fears is very important, _essential_ if you want to defend yourself against the dark arts. Fear must be mastered, kept on a tight leash if we are to succeed in a dark world." He explained. Leslie sighed.

"Not like I'll ever have to face my parents again. That's _hardly_ a dark art." She muttered.

"Sorry Leslie, I didn't quite catch that." Professor Lupin said. Leslie cleared her throat.

"Nothing, professor. Just thinking out loud." She lied.

"Well, Leslie, I do hope you're keeping this in mind. You are welcome any time to come and face it. Just let me know ahead of time, and I'll be here to help you through it." Lupin said with a wink. Leslie shook her head.

"Thank you professor," She sighed. "I'm just not ready yet."

* * *

The strange dreams had gotten worse. Over the past few weeks, they had been occurring on a nightly basis, causing Leslie to wake up in a panic, and find herself unable to fall back asleep. Her school work was suffering as a result.

Hermione was quite helpful through it, offering to help her with her Transfiguration homework especially, because McGonagall would _not_ accept lack of sleep as a suitable excuse. She was able to scrape by in her other subjects, just managing to get the homework done and handed in on time.

The following Monday, Leslie felt as though she would fall asleep in her Muggle Studies class, as Professor Wizzie had began another less-than-factual lecture on the lives of Muggles.

"If you pay special attention to the picture on the screen," Wizzie pointed at the screen behind her that was magically projecting images of cars, "You'll see that Muggles have not yet discovered the flying capacities their cars possess. Some theorists chalk it up to the fact that Muggles lack certain brain cells that we as witches and wizards possess, and are able to use to discover these everyday commodities."

Leslie yawned to herself, not even feeling the urge to once again correct her professor on the lecture's falseness. Leslie felt her eyes close, as she could swear she heard the crooning voice of the woman who had been calling to her in her dreams.

_Leslie, dear. It won't be long now, Leslie. Come to me._

Leslie felt Hermione's elbow in her ribs as she snapped back to reality.

"Whatsamatter?" Leslie muttered, as she breathed in. Hermione exhaled loudly and leaned in.

"Honestly Leslie, keep yourself awake, would you? You're going to get caught sleeping in class." She hissed in a quiet whisper.

"I wasn't sleeping." Leslie whispered back as she focused on the screen in front of her. She sighed to herself, thinking about the voice. _Who are you, and how can you help me?_

* * *

"Leslie, dear, will you come here for a moment?" Professor Wizzie said at the end of class that day. Leslie nodded and joined her professor at the front of the classroom as Hermione headed out to Care of Magical Creatures.

"What did you think of the lesson, Leslie? Strange concept, isn't it? The very idea of not using flying vehicles." Wizzie said with a wave of her hand. Leslie only nodded, not feeling overly in the mood to talk about cars, or about the supposed lack of brain cells Muggles had.

"Is there something you wanted, professor?" Leslie asked, trying not to be rude. She felt very irritable, and she still had three classes to go. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to get through the rest of the day without biting somebody's head of.

"Oh yes, Leslie, thank you. You just seemed a bit quiet in class today. Usually, you're quite verbal about Muggles. Everything alright?" Wizzie asked with a tilt of her head. Leslie sighed.

"Everything's fine, professor, I've just been very tired lately. I haven't been getting much sleep, that's all." She answered, feeling somewhat irritated. Wizzie nodded.

"You know, if you're having a difficult time falling asleep at night, just say the word, and I'm sure I can talk ol' Sevvy, er, I mean, Professor Snape into whipping up some sleeping potion for you." She said. Leslie nearly laughed out loud. _Yes, because my first choice would be sleeping potion that Snape put together for me._ She thought sarcastically.

"Thank you, professor, but I'm sure I will be fine." She said. "By the way, how _are_ things between you and Professor Snape?" _Not like they'd win for couple of the year or anything._

"Oh, thank you for asking, dear. I think Severus is jealous, you know? Jealous of Re-, er, Professor Lupin. I don't know what he's so sour about. I already told him he's the only man for me, but he seems to think my old feelings for Professor Lupin have come back, and I suppose he's feeling rather threatened by that." Professor Wizzie said. Leslie nodded. Leave it to Professor Wizzie to give her far more information than she really wanted to know. _I was just trying to be polite._

"Speaking of Professor Lupin, have you gone and faced that Boggart of yours yet?" Wizzie asked. Leslie exhaled slowly. Whizbees, that was the _last_ thing she wanted to talk about.

"No I haven't, and I know I have to in order to pass that class. I don't want to fail, and I know my gra-, I know there would be people who would be less than pleased if I failed." Leslie replied, nearly letting it slip that her grandmother was here at Hogwarts.

"Leslie, sweetheart, you are a smart girl. I know you are a very talented witch, and I would hate to see something like a dumb old Boggart hold you back." Wizzie smiled. "I know you can do it."

"Thank you professor." She sighed, wanting nothing more than to be out of this classroom. "Sorry, but I have to run. I don't want to be late for Care of Magical Creatures. The last class I was late for was with Professor Snape, and he had me scrubbing cauldrons well into the early morning."

* * *

Leslie struggled with more dreams that evening, the same voice calling out to her, urging her to come to the source of the voice.

_But where are you?_

_You aren't ready yet, but you must come, exactly when I tell you._

_And you can help me?_

_You won't lose it all, but you must obey._

_Obey._

_Must obey._

_Not time yet._

_OBEY!_

* * *

The following evening, Leslie was walking away from her Tuesday night lesson with her grandmother, feeling a little more optimistic about her grades in that class. Finally, after months of trying to transfigure something, _anything_, Leslie was able to successfully transfigure a potato into a dishrag.

"That's it, wonderful Leslie! You see there? It _can_ be done! Aren't you proud of yourself?" McGonagall had asked. Leslie smiled to herself. She didn't think she had ever seen her grandmother so enthusiastic about anything before.

But she was right though. As much as Leslie hated Transfiguration, and questioned its usefulness, she was quite pleased with herself with what she had done.

"Keep this up, Leslie, and you'll be just fine. You're improving quite nicely, and you're starting to grasp the concepts in the third year class as well. If you stick to your studies, I believe you shall pass my class. Good work." Her grandmother had said.

Leslie felt like skipping down the hall. It was one less thing to worry about, anyway. She had a feeling if she kept it up, she would be able to pass Transfiguration. Still, she had to face her Boggart sooner or later, or she wouldn't pass Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she really wanted to continue in that class in later years.

As she walked down the corridors alone, her uplifted spirits began to damper rather quickly as she thought about her Boggart. Thoughts of her Boggart led to thoughts of her parents, and thoughts of her parents led to thoughts of Harry. She missed him so much. She wanted so much to be able to talk to him again, go out to the pitch and practice Quidditch, even if it _was_ snowing. Whizbees, Leslie missed playing, and hated the off-season. At least when they had Quidditch practice, or games, Leslie was _near_ Harry. No, he never spoke to her, but at least he was _there,_ and it almost felt like old times. What she wouldn't give for them to be out on the Quidditch pitch, just the two of them, like they used to do when they were in first year, when Harry would teach her how to fly a broomstick, or led her ride with him on his. Just the two of them, kindred spirits. Hermione was her best friend and always had been, but Harry and Leslie had a different sort of connection. The connection of being orphaned, of never knowing about your magical roots until you were old enough to attend the school, of being teased and bullied by people just because you were different. Harry understood all of that, and that was what she missed the most. It wasn't even as though the two ever talked about it, and there was no need, because it connected the two, and Leslie wanted that connection back.

She never told this to Hermione, she didn't want to sound stupid or anything, but she could tell that Hermione was even starting to miss Ron a little bit too, even though she was too hot-headed to admit to it.

"Whizbees!" Leslie muttered irritably as the staircase she was about to take to the Gryffindor Common room shifted, leaving her with nowhere else to go. Exhaling loudly, she decided to try another route. Unsure of any other way to get to the Gryffindor Common room, she decided the only way was to explore.

As she walked through new corridors, she was surprised that there were still parts of the castle she had still not seen in her three years here. New statues, new paintings, new twists and turns, and Leslie was sure she was nowhere near the Gryffindor Common room, but by now, she had forgotten all about that. Now, she was only interested in exploring this new part of the castle. _If only Harry were here to see this._ She thought absently.

Leslie descended down a flight of stone steps into a dark, cold room that she had never seen before. She immediately felt as though perhaps she shouldn't be here, but she couldn't really explain why. Still, instead of turning and leaving the room, she moved forward. _It's a good thing Hermione's not here._ Leslie thought, knowing they wouldn't have even made it this far if she had been with Hermione.

Perhaps it was the object on the other side of the room that captivated Leslie's attention. The dark room that very nearly could have been a dungeon with its cold atmosphere and stone walls held nothing but a single mirror, in the center of the room.

Leslie walked right up toward the mirror, and saw the engraving on the top of the gold frame. _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. _It read. Leslie tried to make sense of it, and would have pulled out her wand to charm the words into English, but as Leslie stood in front of it, expecting nothing more than to see her own reflection, she became quickly distracted by what she actually saw peering back at her. Yes, that _was_ her that she saw, but things were different. First of all, she wasn't wearing her school robes, she was wearing her Quidditch team robes. She was flying on her broomstick, giggling loudly, and yelling at somebody. Leslie puckered her brow. What was going on?

Then she saw him.

Harry!

It was like watching a piece of her life that had been taken from her. There she was, Leslie Perks, playing Quidditch with her friend Harry, laughing away, and teasing each other as they tossed the Quaffle back and forth.

Leslie watched in awe at the two figures in front of her, as she lowered herself to sit in front of the mirror. What _was_ this mirror? _Why _was it showing this to her? She didn't have any answers to her questions, but joy welled up in her heart in that moment, as she watched her own interaction with Harry, just like the old days, before their horrible row.

Leslie put her hand up against the mirror's glass, testing it's falseness, wishing for nothing more than to jump through the mirror into the scene displayed before her. Playing Quidditch at Hogwarts, with Harry, and happy. Just like it was before anything had ever gone wrong. Before she had realized she may fail two of her classes at Hogwarts, before she had gotten into the fight with Harry, before her nightmares, before she began to fear losing _everything._

Leslie sighed out loud, as she placed her head gently against the mirror's frame. _Harry, will we ever be this way again?_

"Well, hello Miss Perks. I see you have found our hidden mirror." Leslie whipped around at the sound of the echoing voice in this large room, and saw that she was no longer alone. Professor Lupin had found her.

"Professor, I-" She swallowed. Now she was in for it. Professor Lupin just laughed a little.

"You're not in trouble, Leslie, so do not worry so much. But I must ask you, how did you find it?" Lupin wanted to know. Leslie merely shrugged.

"Well, the staircases changed, see, and I-"

"Ah, and somehow you ended up here."

"Basically." Leslie paused, as she stood up. "Professor, why is this mirror hidden? And what is it for?" Professor Lupin crossed the room toward her.

"This, Leslie, is the Mirror of Erised. It's been here for many years now, but Dumbledore is considering removing it from the castle premises. It can be dangerous, you know." He explained. Leslie puckered her brow as she looked back at what she saw in the mirror. She couldn't understand what could be dangerous about seeing herself happy with Harry.

"I don't understand, professor. What is it that's so dangerous?" She paused as a thought came to her. "Does it show the future?"

"No, Leslie."

"The past then?"

"No." Professor Lupin came to stand beside her, peering into the mirror himself. "No Leslie, this mirror shows the deepest desires of our hearts. What we want more than anything in this world, at the moment you look into it."

Leslie looked back at the mirror, and saw herself catch the Quaffle from Harry, nearly falling off her broom, and being saved by Harry, who laughed at her, as Leslie chased after him. Leslie smiled quickly.

"But, how is that dangerous? I mean, it's quite nice." She said a little dreamily, as she longed for the scene in front of her to become a reality.

"Well Leslie, desire is a funny thing, you know. It can play tricks on us, make us feel things, good things." He looked again at the mirror. "People have wasted away sitting in front of this mirror, wishing for what may never be."

Leslie sighed, staring at the mirror again.

"But, desires can still come true, can't they?" She asked.

"Why yes, they can, but what good does it do to dwell on dreams?" Lupin asked, as he put his hand on Leslie's shoulder, turning her away from the mirror. "I know what you see is pleasant. It is for everyone, but sooner or later, we must accept the fact that life will come at us as it wills. There isn't anything we can do to change it."

Leslie sighed, nodding, wanting nothing more than to turn back and watch the happiness she saw in her eyes as she was with Harry. Her heart's deepest desire.

As she wandered off back toward the Gryffindor Common room, she thought about what Professor Lupin had said. _Sooner or later, we must accept the fact that life will come at us as it wills. There isn't anything we can do to change it._

Then she remembered the voice in her dream. _You won't lose it all, but you must obey. _Whoever she was, she could fix it. Leslie was _sure_ of it. She didn't know how, or when, but she thought about her and Harry's laughter ringing through her ears as she stood in front of that mirror.

_I don't care what you say, Professor Lupin. There is something I can do to change it, and I _will_._

_Whatever it takes._


	19. The Isle of the Black Fog

Leslie frowned as she stared out the dormitory window on a wet, rainy day at the beginning of April. Her homework was already finished, and she found herself bored and lethargic as she watched the raindrops fall.

She let out a long, exasperated sigh as she cupped her face in her hands, trying to think of things she could do to occupy her time. Hermione was off in the common room trying to complete an essay for Snape that was due in a month's time.

_I suppose I could_ _work on Transfiguration._ She thought to herself, but according to her grandmother, she was doing very well. Somehow she had managed to push through, and academically crawl her way back to where she should be, and she was understanding third year material. She had even succeeded in transfiguring her chair into a statue of a turtle, which she noticed Harry was having trouble with.

Harry.

_If we were speaking, I wouldn't be bored. The boys won't be doing homework right now. We could be playing wizard's chess, or something._ Leslie felt tears stinging her eyes as she sighed loudly. She thought about the scene she had witnessed through the Mirror of Erised, and wished she could go back and see it again. But a week after she had discovered the mirror, she returned to the forgotten room to find the mirror had been removed. She never bothered to ask about it, she knew Professor Lupin would have brought it to Dumbledore's attention. _It can be dangerous, you know._

Leslie very nearly went down to join Hermione in writing that essay, but she was distracted by the sound of something tapping on her window. She could hardly make out her visitor's shape, with the amount of rain that was plowing down, so she opened her window, feeling the mist of rain blowing in at her, as a tawny brown owl flew in through the window, shaking its feathers, spraying water all over Leslie's bed. She sighed, closing the window.

"Well, thanks a lot!" She snapped. "What do you want?" The owl dropped a pink envelope on the bed, and flew toward the window, swooping down to bite Leslie's finger.

"Ouch!" Leslie grumbled under her breath as she opened the window to let the owl out. "Thanks." She yelled. _Whizbees, stupid owl!_ She thought, as she sucked on her bleeding finger. She had been more and more irritable lately, snapping at everyone who came in her path, especially Hermione, but she quickly followed up with an apology. It wasn't Hermione's fault that Leslie wasn't sleeping, or that she missed Harry, or wanted nothing more than to make up with him again. It wasn't Hermione's fault that Leslie still hadn't faced her Boggart, or figured out who was talking to her in her dreams. That voice still hadn't told her where to go, or who she was. She just kept saying, _You will know when it's time. You are not ready yet. You have to be willing to trust me. If you don't trust me, you will lose everything._ Leslie wasn't sure who she was or what she was talking about, but Leslie knew at this point that she would do whatever it took to salvage her friendship with Harry, and her place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _Whatever_ it took.

Leslie moved to her bed, and pulled out her wand with a sigh.

"_Arefacio." _She said, as her sheets immediately dried from the raindrops the owl had brought in with him.

She picked up her letter, wondering who it could be from, and upon opening it, immediately recognized the handwriting as Mrs. Granger's.

_Leslie,_

_I am beginning to worry about you, my dear. You know, this is my third letter to you and you still haven't responded. I want to make sure you're okay and taking care of yourself. I want to know how things are going. When you left at Christmas, you were having a bit of a rough go. Hermione tells me you and the boys are still not speaking, and that you haven't faced your Bognart (?). Leslie, please don't close yourself off, alright? It's perfectly normal to be upset and confused right now, but make sure you let Hermione in, let _us_ in. I know this is a scary time, but take heart dear. It will be alright._

_Please write back._

_Mrs. Granger_

Leslie sighed, folding the letter and placing it under her bed with the rest of them. No, it was true, she _hadn't_ written back to Mrs. Granger, because she didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to face it, she didn't want to admit she was still dealing with distance from one of her best friends, or that she was still a coward about her stupid Boggart. _I'll tell her all about it in June when I go back for the summer. Hopefully by then..._

By then, what? She'll have faced her Boggart? She'll have made up with Harry? What if that voice was right? _If you don't come, you will lose everything._

_How am I supposed to come if you won't tell me where to go!_

* * *

That night, Leslie had fallen asleep almost instantly. She didn't exactly know how she managed that, but the lack of sleep must have caught up to her. Or it might have been that essay for Snape that was due in a month's time. Leslie had caved, with nothing better to do, and started writing it, even though Hermione had already finished, and had begun working on something else.

She tossed and turned for quite some time, sweat beading on her forehead, as she kicked the blankets right off of her. The voice had returned with the billowing black clouds. It was clearer than any of the others.

_Come to me, Leslie. It is time._

_Time? And you can fix things, right?_

_Don't you trust me, Leslie?_

_Yes._

_Then you must come, right now, tonight._

_Where?_

_Come to me, to the Isle of the Black Fog. If you do not come tonight, you will lose everything._

_But I don't know how to get there. _

_Take your broomstick and fly. You will know the way, you will be guided._

_But what about the Black Fog? What if it gets me?_

_To avoid the fog, recite the spell, Nonebula_, _and you will be fine._

_Okay, but..._

_It must be tonight, Leslie, do you understand? You must come alone. It must be right now._

* * *

Leslie woke with a start as she tried to catch her breath. She remembered the dream clearly, the voice even clearer. _Nonebula. Fly._ In a daze, she jumped from her bed and grabbed her cloak, not even bothering to change out of her pajamas. It was still raining out, she could see that, but that didn't matter.

She quickly grabbed her quill and a piece of parchment, and scribbled a quick note to leave on her bed, in case Hermione woke up before she got back.

_Hermione,_

_I've gone to the Isle of the Black Fog._

_Leslie_

There wasn't any other time to explain, in fact, she didn't even remember writing the note later, as she grabbed her broomstick from under her bed, and ran from the dormitory into the common room. Nobody was around, just the fire burning away. Leslie stole a glance around, making sure there were no gray tabby cats around.

Somehow she managed to sneak out of the Gryffindor Common Room, down the corridor, down the grand staircase and out through the front doors. She immediately felt the rain pelting hard against her and she ran all the way down the front walk until she got to the Hogwarts gates. She managed to open them up and get through them quietly, without attracting any attention. How she managed to get past Filch and Mrs. Norris, she didn't know, but she was safe now.

As she mounted her broomstick, her mind was clouded with one thought, and one thought only. To go to the Isle of the Black Fog. She didn't think about her grandmother and the consequences there, she didn't think about how worried Hermione would be if she woke up, all she cared about was finding this voice, because somehow, she had the answers.

Leslie kicked off and flew high, right up above the clouds, where the rain was more like ice, pelting her, numbing her hands. _I should have brought my Focillo gloves_. She thought to herself as she clung to the broomstick tightly. And for the life of her, she couldn't remember the _Focillo_ charm Leslie had performed at Christmas.

Quickly remembering the voice in her dream, she reached behind her, grabbing her wand as best she could with her frozen hands.

"_Nonebula._" She said, and felt a sensation coming over her, but nothing more than that. She supposed a spell protecting her from the Fog wouldn't feel like anything spectacular, so she tucked her wand back into her cloak, and continued to fly.

How she knew where she was going, she couldn't explain, but every so often, she just knew she had to turn left, or right. It wasn't a voice inside her head, it was just an innate knowledge that she felt.

None of this made any kind of logical sense, but Leslie wasn't thinking about that. Following a voice she heard in her dream out into the Black Fog to the very place where the Fog would be conjured. It was dangerous, but Leslie didn't care about any of that. _If I go, I'll be able to face my Boggart. I'll be able to make things right with Harry. I'll be able to stay at Hogwarts. Everything will be fine, I just have to get there!_

Ahead, she saw the billowing black fog she saw in her dreams, and on the train her first day at Hogwarts. She pulled her broomstick to a halt as she stared at it.

It was thick, black and moving. In an eerie kind of way, Leslie almost thought she could _hear_ it, voices even. _The madness._ She thought to herself, wondering how much worse she would feel if she wasn't protected by that spell.

Swallowing hard, she flew around it, hearing whispering she couldn't make out. She shook it off, trying to focus.

Leslie didn't know how long she had been flying for, but her hands had lost all feeling, and she was fairly certain her lips were turning blue. Her cloak was soaked, and her hair was drenched, sticking to the sides of her face. She must have been flying for at least an hour, if not more. Strange, time seemed to stand still all of a sudden.

_Leslie, you are almost here._

She heard the voice. Clear as day, inside of her mind. The same voice inside of her dream, and it wasn't just her imagination. It was real, a _real_ voice, while she was awake, and flying her broomstick.

That was when she saw it.

Below her, she saw a small black island in the middle of a body of water. She wasn't sure where she was, or what body of water it was, but she knew she had found it.

The Isle of the Black Fog.

Leslie swallowed to herself, feeling fearful for the first time since she mounted her broomstick to come here. Logic hit her suddenly, as she thought about Hermione, and her grandmother. _What am I doing here?_ She thought to herself, very nearly pulling herself away, ready to fly back.

_You know why you're here. My dear Leslie, don't you want to save your friendship with Harry? Don't you want to stay at Hogwarts forever?_

Leslie felt tears stinging her eyes, as she nodded to herself.

_Then you must come. You've come this far, you must go on._

Leslie brushed her tears away on her soaking wet cloak, and began her descent to the island. She landed her broom on a hard surface, and she realized the island was a crumbling rock formation, as the rocks beneath her shifted when she landed. She swallowed hard as she became consciously aware of her breathing.

The storm had picked up, the rain was coming down in sheets now, and lightning lit up the sky.

Leslie turned in a circle, trying to make out anything she could, but she could see nothing, but her own misty breath in front of her. Her teeth were chattering as she clutched her arms for warmth.

_Wonderful sweetheart, you've made it. Come to me._

Leslie turned and saw the shack that she hadn't seen before. _She's in there._ She thought to herself, dropping her broomstick, not even thinking she should bring it with her. Leslie felt herself in a daze, a dreamlike state, as she walked toward the shack, not even pulling out her wand to defend herself in case anything went wrong.

_Nothing could go wrong. I'm safe._ She convinced herself, as she continued toward the shack, feeling a strange sense of peace fall upon her. She and Harry were going to be friends again, she would face her Boggart, and everything would go back to the way things were.

_Come on Leslie, almost there._

Leslie pushed open the rusty old door to the shack, and listened to it creak as it slowly allowed her entrance. Leslie walked in, feeling the strangest sense of euphoria as she looked around.

_Close the door, my dear, that's it, you've made it._

Whizbees, the voice was soothing, trusting, and Leslie smiled to herself, as she closed the door behind her and walked forward almost trance-like. There was no light, only darkness, but Leslie wasn't the least bit nervous, or afraid.

Magically, the chandelier above her lit up the room, and Leslie saw a shadow emerging from a doorway, and a shrill laughter echoed among the walls. Leslie watched, waiting for her hero to walk right out and tell her the secrets of how to make her life right again, but the figure who emerged from the shadows into the light was not who Leslie was expecting.

In fact, all feelings of happiness, safety, assurance and hope were gone as soon as she saw who was standing right in front of her with long black hair, and a black gown. Leslie recognized her immediately from the Daily Prophet pictures.

Bellatrix Lestrange. A Death Eater.

Something strange happened to Leslie in that moment, as she closed her eyes and looked around. She didn't know where she was, or how she got there. _What happened?_ She thought to herself, feeling scared. Why was she in her pajamas? Why was she wet? Why was she in an old shack, and _why_ was she in the presence of Bellatrix Lestrange?

Leslie tried to let out a scream, but nothing came. Forgetting all about her wand, Leslie didn't know what else to do but run. She tried, but a strong hand grabbed a hold of her arm, and pulled her back.

"Naughty, naughty, Leslie. You've come all this way, you can't leave now." It was the voice from her dream, but it wasn't calming. It was cold and full of hate, and yet she still laughed with a taste of insanity.

Leslie tried to struggle out of Bellatrix's grasp, but the Death Eater's laughter only became more amused and insane. Leslie suddenly felt herself being tugged toward a chair that was sitting in the middle of the room, and she landed hard in it, as Bellatrix had pushed her roughly.

"_Internecto!"_ She hissed, as ropes magically appeared, and tightly bound Leslie to the chair. Leslie tried to reach for her wand, but Bellatrix held it up with a sick look of satisfaction on her face.

"Looking for this, Leslie?" She asked with a giggle. Leslie swallowed. She must have lifted it off of her when she grabbed her. Bellatrix continued to laugh as she summoned a chair from the corner of the room, and placed it in front of Leslie, seated so she could look right at Leslie. Leslie couldn't breath, her head was pounding, nothing was making sense. How did she end up here? Tears clouded her vision. She was in danger, and nobody knew it. She didn't even know where she was, how would anybody come and rescue her?

"Leslie, Leslie, Leslie." Bellatrix mocked, as she laughed shrilly. "I can't believe you fell for it. Mind you, it wasn't your fault. Aww, poor Leslie was under my spell, wasn't she? Mindless nightmares at first, but eventually, the spell hooked you, and it drew you here. You can't even remember coming here, can you? No, you wouldn't. The spell had you under my control. Funny, that spell can work on anybody, it just feeds on your fears, Leslie. All I had to do was cast the spell. Your fears brought you to me." Bellatrix tapped her on the nose, and stroked her hair. Leslie couldn't pull away, there was no room to move in these ropes. She swallowed hard.

"How? How could you have cast a spell on me? I've never left the school! I've never seen you before in my life! It's impossible!" She cried out, wishing she could sound a little braver. Bellatrix laughed again, as she threw her head back. Leslie's heart was beating faster every moment.

"Oh Leslie, it was so easy, let me tell you all about it. All I needed was a decoy, and good 'ol Professor Wizzie, as you call her, just happened to be the perfect way to get to you. A swig of Polyjuice Potion, a little Memory Modifying potion for Wizzie, who I locked in a closet, and one class with you, where you wonderfully spoke out of turn. One detention, and, well, as we say, the rest was history." She laughed again. Leslie shook her head.

"That's...that's why everything went black." She swallowed. "I didn't pass out. You jinxed me!"

"Yes, but you didn't remember anything, did you? Neither did Wizzie. She probably thought it was the _Oblivion Flu_ or something. Stupid girl, she is. You're quite stupid as well, Leslie, giving into your fears like that. Now you see what fear does to a person, don't you? Look at the trouble you've gotten yourself into now. A little pickle we're in, now aren't we?" Bellatrix began to laugh again, and Leslie's anger was bubbling to the surface.

"Why? Why me? What do you want with me?" She yelled out, struggling against the tight ropes. Whatever she had said caused Bellatrix to laugh even harder.

"Oh Leslie, you can't honestly think you're worth all of this on your own, can you? Dear, it's not about you, you're simply the bait. We're not after you." Bellatrix stood up, spreading her arms wide. "What we're really after is Harry Potter."

Leslie's heart skipped a beat. A Death Eater, luring Leslie to the Isle of the Black Fog to get to Harry. Voldemort wanted Harry dead, and here were his followers, ready to strike. Then Leslie realized what Bellatrix had said. She swallowed.

"W...we?"

"Oh yes, I haven't introduced you yet." Bellatrix let out a small whistle, and Leslie saw a large brown mouse scurry into the room. She could recognize that old rat anywhere.

"Scabbers?" She said to herself. But then something strange began to happen. The rat's tail slowly began to disappear, and it's paws became bigger, and then its whole body grew and grew, until the ears disappeared, replacing them with pink ones. It wasn't long before Scabbers was no longer a rat, but a grown man, staring at Leslie with hungry eyes. She tried to swallow, but couldn't.

"Leslie, I would like you to meet my fellow Death Eater," Bellatrix smiled. "Peter Pettigrew."


	20. The Truth About Scabbers

Hermione woke up to the sound of rain pitter pattering on the dormitory window not much later. As she rubbed her eyes, she saw that it was still dark outside, and realized it must still be the middle of the night.

She yawned, and looked over to Leslie's bed. Perhaps the rain had woken her up too.

Except Leslie wasn't there.

Hermione sat up, puckering her brows.

"Leslie?" She asked, as she jumped out of bed. She grabbed her wand from under her pillow and quietly said, "_Lumos."_ The tip of her wand illuminated the room, but Hermione kept her hand over the light a little, so she wouldn't wake the other girls.

Leslie's bed was indeed empty. _Perhaps she's in the common room._ She thought, but that was when she saw a piece of parchment on Leslie's bed, with Leslie's messy handwriting on it. Hermione had to keep herself from gasping as she read it.

_Hermione,_

_I've gone to the Isle of the Black Fog._

_Leslie_

Hermione swallowed, as she held the letter close. She shook her head. It didn't make sense. Why would Leslie go there? Why in the middle of the night? Why wouldn't she tell Hermione to her face? Why wasn't there more of an explanation? _What could be there?_

Hermione didn't know why Leslie had gone, but she knew she was in danger. In fact, things were beginning to come together, now that Hermione thought about it. Perhaps this was the reason Leslie had been acting so strange lately. Her head in the clouds, not sleeping, being rather snippy with Hermione, not writing her mum and dad. All things that were not like Leslie at all. Hermione sighed. _Maybe the fog got to her somehow._ She thought to herself, not understanding any other reason why Leslie would suddenly be drawn to the place the Fog was conjured. _But how could it have? She's never left the school. None of us have._ Hermione was breathing faster and faster, unable to understand why Leslie would do something so dangerous.

_I have to find her, before something happens to her._ She knew what was on the Isle of the Black Fog. Whoever was conjuring the fog would be there waiting for her. A Death Eater.

Hermione panicked at the thought and quickly grabbed her cloak, but it was then she realized she couldn't just go after Leslie alone. It would be incredibly dangerous.

Harry and Ron.

Without a moment's hesitation, Hermione ran from her dormitory and down the stairs into the common room. She quickly ran up the stairs to the boys' dormitories and pounded on Harry and Ron's door. She heard scrambling on the other side, and she waited anxiously until Harry poked his head out of the door. He looked surprised, and a little groggy. He didn't say anything, he just stared at her dumbfounded. It was obviously an odd situation. After all, they hadn't spoken for nearly six months now.

"I need to talk to you two. You and Ron." Hermione said, her voice shaking. Harry put on his best annoyed face.

"So talk." He said coldly.

"Not here! Harry, this is very important. Come down to the common room. Please." Something about Hermione's expression stirred inside of Harry and he immediately knew something was wrong.

He exhaled loudly, and peeked his head back inside his dorm, calling to Ron. Soon, Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting by the fire in the common room, as an awkward silence followed for a moment before Ron finally spoke up with a yawn.

"Are you finally here to apologize?" He asked. Hermione glared at him, wanting nothing more than to yell at him, but this was too important.

"No, _Ronald, _and don't expect me to either." She sighed. "Leslie's in trouble, and I need your help." Harry scoffed.

"Can't she get herself out of it? I mean, the way she thinks she can be a decent Quidditch player-"

"Harry! She's gone to the Isle of the Black Fog!" Hermione shouted as she shoved Leslie's letter in his face. Harry took it, read it, and looked up. His expression seemed to have changed. He shook his head.

"Why?" He wanted to know. Hermione sighed, feeling tears in her eyes.

"I don't know. You know Leslie as well as I do. It's not like her to just sneak off and do something horribly dangerous like this. Not alone, anyway." She said, clasping her hands together tightly. Harry stared at her.

"Uh, yeah, remember last year? Didn't she sneak off to fly across the country to rescue me from the Dursleys?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Hermione slapped her hand on her knee angrily.

"Harry, that was _different!_ Why would she want to risk herself when the Black Fog is everywhere!" She sighed. "Guys, I think the fog may have had something to do with it. I don't know why, but I can't imagine Leslie just waking up and flying off without telling anyone to go to the Isle of the Black Fog, _where_ there will be a Death Eater, if not _more_, waiting. She could be in so much trouble!"

Before either one of the boys had a chance to say anything, they heard a tapping on the window. They all jumped and saw a black owl with great big yellow eyes staring at them from outside. Harry stood up and approached the window, opening it to accept an envelope from the owl who flew away promptly with a loud ear-piercing screech. Harry brought the letter back to the group and began to open it.

"It's addressed to me. Who would send a letter at this hour?" He asked himself as he tore open the envelope, unfolding the letter. He read it through to himself and paled immediately.

"What?" Ron asked, his own heart starting to race.

"It's...it's not signed, but Hermione, you're right. Leslie is in danger." Harry passed her a magical photograph that had been sent with the letter. It was a picture of Leslie tied to a chair in a dark, and abandoned shack. Hermione began to cry.

"Who?" Was all she could ask. Harry shook his head.

"I told you, it's not signed. But the note says she's in trouble and on the Isle of the Black Fog." He replied. Ron swallowed.

"That's all it says?" He asked.

"That's all it says." Harry replied.

Hermione didn't know what to say as she stared at the picture. She didn't want to imagine who had her, who was there, how many of them there were, or even if Voldemort _himself_ were there. Hermione swallowed.

"We have to go rescue her." Harry said, standing up. Ron nodded.

"Yeah, we'll get our brooms." He replied. Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief, offering them a small smile.

"Thank you." Was all she could say. Harry nodded and ran for his dormitory, but Ron lingered a moment, staring at Hermione.

"Don't think this means you're off the hook or anything." He said quietly. Hermione shot him a glare as he bolted for his room before Hermione's fist found his face.

* * *

A few moments later, Hermione, Ron and Harry were walking out to the front gates of Hogwarts under the protection of Harry's invisibility cloak. Hermione couldn't believe how difficult it was for the three of them to fit under it, now that they had all grown a few inches. _How did we fit all four of us under here before?_

Once they were past the gates, the boys mounted their broomsticks, and Hermione jumped on the back of Harry's, and they flew off.

"How are we supposed to know where we're going?" Harry shouted back.

"Don't worry! I remember the directions from when I was researching the Isle of the Black Fog." Hermione shouted back.

"Figures!" Ron shouted over to Harry.

"I thought the location was unknown." Harry said.

"It is, but I've been doing a little extra research. From the restricted section and I'm pretty sure I've puzzled out where it is. Oh!" Hermione pulled out her wand. "We need to protect ourselves from the Black Fog. _Nonebula_._" _Ron shook his head after the spell had been cast.

"How is it that she knows everything?" He called over to Harry, who didn't respond.

He was too busy thinking of a plan to rescue Leslie.

* * *

Leslie still couldn't comprehend as she stared at the man who was a rat only seconds ago. She shook her head as Bellatrix laughed.

"What's the matter Leslie? Never seen an _Animagus_ before?" She asked with a smirk. Leslie couldn't take her eyes off of Pettigrew?

"Peter Pettigrew? Scabbers? Ron's rat was an _Animagus?_" She asked. Pettigrew nodded with a smile.

"Yes, but it was far beyond my time to be with that blood-traitor family. I was ecstatic when Miss Lestrange summoned me after she escaped from Azkaban. It was so easy to get away from Ron Weasley. He's not the smartest of the lot." He said.

"Shut up! He's my friend!" Leslie cried out.

"Silence!" Bellatrix yelled as she struck Leslie across the face. "I don't think Peter was finished, dear."

"We wanted nothing more than to show our loyalty to the Dark Lord. So, we came here, to the Isle of the Black Fog. We conjured the Fog. We're the cause of all the wonderful madness happening in Hogsmeade." Pettigrew said with his large teeth taking up half of his evil grin. Bellatrix took it upon herself to continue, as she turned to look at Leslie with her dark eyes.

"The Dark Lord will come eventually, and what better way to welcome him than with a gift from his precious minions?" She asked. Leslie puckered her brow, looking from her to Pettigrew.

"Gift?" She asked quietly, not wanting to shout anymore. She was fairly certain one of Bellatrix's rings had caused Leslie's cheek to bleed.

"What better gift than the boy who drove the Dark Lord into hiding?" Pettigrew said with awkward hand gestures. "Harry Potter." He began to laugh. Leslie shook her head.

"What does that have to do with me? Why didn't you just lure Harry himself?" She asked, feeling her heart hammering wildly against her chest. Bellatrix began to laugh again, as she drew close to Leslie, inches away from her face.

"Isn't that just what everyone would expect, Leslie? Come off it! Dumbledore knows the Dark Lord wants his hands on Harry, and has ever since he was just a child. Perhaps nobody ever talks about it, but all eyes are on Harry all the time. Any sort of suspicious behaviour from Potter will have everyone on their guard against the Dark Lord immediately. But you..." Bellatrix smiled. "You are just a nobody little girl who's been having nightmares and having trouble sleeping. Nothing to be concerned over, is there?" Bellatrix began to laugh again, as she spun around in a circle. Leslie shook her head. _She's mad, totally and completely mad!_

"Oh Leslie, isn't it a shame they haven't taught you the fine art of Occlumency? Because now that you've gone and let your mind be invaded like that..." She giggled. "You're going to die."

Leslie felt her chest tighten as Bellatrix walked over to Pettigrew a few feet away. Leslie tried her ropes again, but it was hopeless. She still didn't understand what her role was in all of this. Why would they use her if they were after Harry.

"I sent the letter to Potter. He should have gotten it already." Pettigrew said to Bellatrix, who nodded with a snort.

"Excellent. He'll come to rescue her, the little hero. Little does he know he'll be walking right into a trap." She laughed. Leslie, out of anger, stared at the two of them, and then at Pettigrew.

"You're supposed to be dead! Sirius Black killed you!" Leslie yelled out. Pettigrew began to laugh heartily as he shook his head.

"Oh yes, that fine bit of trickery. Oh dear, no. I just made it look that way. Mind you, Sirius didn't see it coming, the old dolt. It didn't take much. Once I killed all those innocent people, and sold James and Lily to my Lord and Master, I quickly transformed into Scabbers and let Sirius take the blame. I framed him. I'm quite proud of myself, actually. I managed to get away with it too." He said, seemingly fond of the memory. Leslie glared at him.

"I knew it! Sirius Black is innocent! Professor Lupin knew all along! They were all best friends, and you betrayed all of them! Because of you, Harry's parents are dead and an innocent man is in Azkaban!" She shouted. She flinched when Bellatrix came toward her, ready to strike her again, but Pettigrew continued.

"None of that matters now anyway, now does it? Sirius is in jail, and I'm here, waiting upon the arrival of the Dark Lord, my Master, so that I can prove my loyalty to him." He said greedily. Bellatrix giggled as she grabbed a hold of Leslie's chin, lifting her face to stare at her.

"Stupid girl." She smiled. "Your fears got the better of you, and now, you and your little friend Mr. Potter are going to die."


	21. The Rescue Party

Hermione could feel the wind getting colder as the rain pelted hard against her face. It was hard to see where Harry was going, but she did her best to navigate them through the fog. God, she wished she had her own broomstick, even though Harry was doing a wonderful job flying his broom steadily. Hermione held out her wand, which she had illuminated so the boys could see in this fog. Ron and Harry huddled close together, mostly so they wouldn't get lost in this thick blackness, but their bodies were offering warmth too.

None of them really said anything, but Hermione knew they were all thinking the same thing. What if they were too late? Who was there on the Isle of the Black Fog? How had Leslie been lured there? She couldn't have possibly gone by her own willing. Hermione felt sick with worry as she wondered if this was some kind of trap. She couldn't think about that, though. Even if it was, she wouldn't leave Leslie like that. She was her best friend, more like a sister than anything. Neither Leslie or Hermione had any siblings, so they had unofficially adopted each other as sisters. Hermione would do anything to rescue her best friend. Even if it meant risking her own life.

Hermione couldn't see Harry for the most part, but she could tell he was flew with a sense of determination. He seemed to be muttering to himself, but Hermione couldn't hear what he was saying over the storm. He didn't seem happy, though.

Hermione looked to her other side to see Ron, who looked somewhat frightened (as usual), but still flew onward. Hermione had to smile to herself a little. _Oh Leslie, if only you could see them now._ Then Harry began to speak.

"I've been so stupid!" He shouted over the wind. Hermione wasn't sure if he was talking to her, or to himself. He was still looking straight ahead. Hermione didn't say anything. She just let him continue.

"I shouldn't have picked a fight with her. I should have just been a good friend and talked things out, but I had to let my temper get the better of me! I had to be stupid and let this whole thing continue, and be horrible!" He sighed, shaking his head violently, as rain drops flew from his messy hair. "Now, what if they kill her? The Deatheaters have her, and what if they _kill_ her? It's going to be all my fault, because I wasn't around to see this coming!" He shouted. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Don't give yourself so much credit, Harry! I didn't even notice something was going on, and I'm her best friend!" She shouted back at him, feeling somewhat insulted.

"So am I!" Harry yelled. Hermione rolled her eyes. _Honestly, boys!_

"Yes, but you two have been fighting! Leslie and I haven't been! I haven't noticed anything strange or unusual." She lowered her voice a little. "We couldn't have prevented this even if we had _all _been with her."

"You haven't noticed anything at all?" Ron asked from the other side of her. She was about to argue with him, but then she thought about it.

"Well, I mean, she's been a little...distant lately, I suppose, but there's been so much going on with her. I just chalked it up to her missing Harry." Hermione replied, wanting to slap herself for letting that get out. Leslie would kill her if she knew she let that slip. Harry turned. He didn't laugh, or get angry, he just turned his head back a little bit.

"She...missed me?" He asked quietly. Hermione didn't answer him. She just ignored him and let Harry continue to fly, while Hermione navigating through the fog with nothing else on her mind but rescuing Leslie.

* * *

Leslie was feeling more and more hopeless. She didn't know what was going to happen. She knew that Peter had sent a letter to Harry about Leslie's predicament. Both Pettigrew and Bellatrix were expecting Harry to show up.

But they didn't realize that Harry and Leslie were fighting. Sadly, Leslie pictured Harry receiving the owl, getting the letter, and shrugging it off. He hated her now. The last thing he was going to do was get on his broomstick and fly to the Isle of the Black Fog to rescue her.

But would he at least tell somebody? Or was he mad enough at her to leave her with the Deatheaters to die? No matter how much she was angry at Harry for everything he had said to her, done to her, she couldn't imagine him just letting her die.

She sighed, pressing her back up against the hard chair. Pettigrew and Bellatrix had moved her upstairs, as they wanted to be hidden when Harry showed up, so they could pounce on him. All she wanted to do was cry. She felt so weak without her friends. Leslie had been in dangerous situations before. During their first year, they had all been bound and tied up in the Dungeon of Dreknon as they watched Voldemort himself float around lifelessly. Leslie had thought she was going to die then as well, but she remembered feeling so much braver then, because she was surrounded by her three friends. Now, she was alone, in the middle of nowhere, with two Deatheaters, and no friends. It seemed so hopeless.

Leslie's mind wandered to her grandmother, and to Hermione, and to the Grangers. She thought of their sad faces when they were told that Leslie Perks was dead. It hurt too deeply to think about. Especially her grandmother, who had already lost Leslie once. She couldn't bear the thought of that happening again.

She hardly heard the conversation that was happening between Pettigrew and Bellatrix, but she began to snap out of her own thoughts when she heard her name.

"...we've got Leslie. Once the Dark Lord returns and sees that we have the little baby Potter boy in our clutches, we will be praised for our good works." Pettigrew said with a childlike giddiness. Bellatrix just continued to laugh maniacally.

"Yes, yes! Surely by now the Dark Lord must have seen the Black Fog. He's simply weak right now. It will take him time to get here on his own." She said.

"But by then, Potter will be here!" Pettigrew added. Leslie shook her head angrily, hating the way they were talking about Harry.

"You're crazy! You don't know Harry Potter at all! He would _never_ just sacrifice himself to Voldemort!" She shouted, and received another blow to the face from Bellatrix.

"You dare to speak his name!" She shouted. Leslie looked up, feeling the pain swelling in her check, but no longer caring.

"I'm not afraid of a name! And Harry isn't stupid enough to fall for your dumb trap!" She shouted. Bellatrix only stared at her for a moment, rage filling her eyes, but then transforming into her crazy laughter.

"Oh what little you know, little Leslie. You see, Harry always has to be the hero, doesn't he? Whatever the cost, would he really just let one of his friends...die? You'll see, dearie. He's got big shoes to fill, doesn't he?" She snorted a laugh, and turned away. Leslie groaned, and that was when she heard it.

Heard _them._

_Oh God, no!_

A set of three voices echoing from downstairs in the hallway traveled up the stairs. Voices. She heard Hermione, then Ron, and then, oh no! Harry had come. Leslie prayed Bellatrix wouldn't hear them, but she did. She pressed her hand over her mouth to contain her excitement, as she motioned over to Peter, who listened too. Leslie was about to scream out, but Bellatrix immediately raised her wand to Leslie and stared at her sternly.

"Make one noise, girl, and I'll kill you right now!" Bellatrix hissed. Leslie swallowed, and didn't breath a syllable.

_Guys, just leave. Get out of here!_

Bellatrix raised her wand to Leslie.

"_Exsolvo!"_ She whispered as the ropes binding Leslie to the chair came loose and fell to her feet. Leslie was confused, until Bellatrix approached her, and grabbed her violently from the chair, pulling her up. She motioned something to Peter, who headed out a different door. Bellatrix pulled Leslie toward the stairs, and began pushing her down, still gripping her elbow tightly.

Harry's voice was getting louder.

"Are you sure this is the place, Hermione?" He asked.

"Yes, we are on the Isle of the Black Fog, and this is the _only_ landmark on the isle. She's got to be here somewhere." Hermione replied. Leslie swallowed. As they came closer and closer to the bottom of the staircase, Leslie could finally see her friends. Their backs were turned to her, and they all had their wands at the ready. Leslie shook her head with violent tears in her eyes. Would the three of them really be able to outsmart two Deatheaters?

The staircase made no noise whatsoever as Bellatrix pulled Leslie quietly down the winding staircase. Leslie could feel a bruise forming from where Bellatrix was tightening her grip.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Harry Potter and the Sunshine gang!" Bellatrix shrieked out, as Harry, Ron and Hermione turned quickly, raising their wands defensively. But it was too late. Bellatrix already had her wand pressed against Leslie's neck.

Leslie stared at Hermione, who looked like she was about ready to cry. Harry and Ron also looked worried, and Leslie felt a pure moment of happiness when she saw that Harry, Harry Potter, one of her greatest friends in the entire world, was here for her, and scared. That moment passed quickly. Peter had come down the other stairs and was behind Harry, Ron and Hermione now. They were surrounded, and they knew it.

Pettigrew began to laugh, and Bellatrix did as well.

"Now, I, Peter Pettigrew, will be the _highest _among the Dark Lord's followers!" Pettigrew yelled boldly. Bellatrix cleared her throat rudely.

"You mean, _we_!" She shouted. Leslie saw the look on Harry's face. He was making the connection. Peter Pettigrew was alive.

He didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, as he kept his wand raised high at Bellatrix, stepping forward bravely.

"Let her go!" He said boldly, as Ron and Hermione stepped up with him. Bellatrix began to laugh, and Leslie could feel the sharp end of her wand moving along her neck. Whizbees, what was she going to do to her?

"What's the matter, Harry? Do you _care_ about her? I don't see how you could. Stupid little girl, really. It was a piece of cake to get her here. Just a simple _Alucinor_ charm took care of that, didn't it?" Bellatrix said with a grin. Leslie could tell by the look on Hermione's face that she had heard of the spell before, and was taken aback.

"The _Alucinor_ charm? You've been luring her all this time!" She shouted. Leslie could feel tears down her cheeks as she stared at Hermione.

"Hermione, I-I didn't know what was happening to me. I-I'm sorry." She stuttered. Hermione looked at her, tears forming in her own eyes.

"Leslie." She said quietly. Bellatrix continued to laugh, finding this whole thing amusing. Harry's anger was getting the better of him as he jumped forward again holding his wand up high.

"Let her go!" He said again, with more authority in her voice.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry I can't do that. You see, my plan hasn't been completed yet. It won't be, Potter, until you surrender yourself. Until you put your wand down, and surrender yourself to me. Then, maybe I'll let your little friend go." Bellatrix said, as though she were talking to a child.

"You two as well. Wands down." Peter said from behind the three friends. "You want to save your little friend Leslie's life, don't you? Then drop the wands." Hermione and Ron glanced at each other, breathing heavily, but they finally complied, and put their wands down gently on the ground.

Harry, however, didn't move. He stared at Bellatrix with fire in his eyes as his hand shook. He couldn't do it! He knew if he lowered his wand, the four of them would be as good as dead. He was the only one who had some level of authority, as long as he held on to his wand. He wasn't going to let it go. He wasn't going to let Leslie down. Not now, not after everything they had been through together.

Bellatrix waited for a moment or so, staring at Harry, before she raised an eyebrow.

"That's how it's going to be, then, isn't it? You aren't going to budge. Stupid boy. Alright fine then, tell me what you think of this." Bellatrix turned her demonic eyes on Leslie, the wand still aimed at her neck. "_Crucio!"_

Leslie felt her back arch, and excruciating pain entered into every limb and joint in her body. Her skull felt as though it were going to shatter. She felt as though her bones were going to pierce through her skin. She felt as though her heart were going to explode!

She didn't fall to the ground, Bellatrix held her up, a display for Harry and his friends.

Leslie's whole body was twitching, and the screams and cries coming from her mouth were deafening and frightening. Hermione began to cry, and Harry could only watch in horror, still holding his wand.

"Stop it!" Harry yelled out, his own voice shaking. He felt tears stinging his eyes as he watched Leslie in the torturous state of pain.

"No, no, Harry, don't you see? I'm not going to stop it!" Bellatrix yelled over Leslie's ear-shattering screams. "You know the Cruciatus curse can drive people to absolute insanity before they die. Would you like to see that happen, Potter? Do you want that? For your little Leslie Perks?" Leslie's body twitched and shook and as Harry felt a single tear fall from the corner of his eye, he had no choice, but to let his wand fall to the ground.

Bellatrix smiled at Harry, and moved the wand away from Leslie, who immediately stopped convulsing. Leslie's body fell limp against the Deatheater, nearly unconscious as she struggled to find breath, tears leaking from her eyes. Bellatrix turned her attention on Peter Pettigrew, laughing.

"Alright Peter, take Potter upstairs, tie him up. The Dark Lord will be here eventually." She turned her attention back to Leslie. "I'll deal with the rest of them." Peter walked forward and grabbed a hold of Harry's arm, and it was then that everything began to happen as though in fast forward.

"_Conflo!"_ Ron's voice echoed throughout the shack, as everyone turned and realized he had his wand in his hand!

The spell caused the chandelier above them to explode, as glass flew everywhere. Everybody fell backwards from the impact. Bellatrix let go of Leslie, and Peter let go of Harry. They had to move fast!

Harry and Hermione quickly scrambled to find their wands, and when they did, Hermione grabbed a hold of Harry's collar, pulling him up off the floor, as Ron placed his arm under Leslie and heaved her up. Leslie was hardly aware of what was going on as she ran with Ron, struggling with the blinding pain that was still creeping through her entire body. Ron had to pull her along most of the way, but Leslie knew she could lean on him for support, and she knew she could trust him.

"_Stupefy!"_ She could hear Bellatrix and Peter both screaming out as they tried to aim their wands through the smoke that had risen in the room. The four friends managed to duck as they headed for the stairs.

"It's our only chance! We can't see the exit from here! It's too smoky!" Hermione yelled out.

"_Stupefy!"_ The Deatheaters tried again, and missed again.

Ron, Harry, Hermione and Leslie managed to get up the stairs, and they ran like they had never run before. Leslie felt weak, and she felt as though she were going to pass out at any moment, but she had to stay strong, or they would never get out of here.

"In here!" Harry hissed as he led the way into a dark room. Hermione, Ron and Leslie, who Ron was still holding onto, followed Harry into the room, and behind a thick dresser in the corner of the room. They all huddled close, and Harry motioned for them to be silent. Leslie cried out as the pain in her bones pierced at every fibre of her being.

"Find them, Peter! We have to find them!" They heard Bellatrix yelling as they edged their way up the stairs. Leslie was breathing quite heavily, and Ron grabbed hold of her and clasped his hand over her mouth to silence her. Leslie fell against him, feeling fear envelope her as she heard the footsteps of Bellatrix Lestrange entering the room.

Silence. If they found them, they would kill all of them, but Harry, right then and there. Bellatrix was angry now, her plan wasn't working out the way she wanted it to. Leslie knew, because she heard the woman began to curse, and stomp and scream out. Leslie's heart was hammering hard against her chest.

"Nothing, Bellatrix, they aren't here. I can't find the little brats anywhere!" Peter's voice filled the room as he entered. Bellatrix was silent for a moment before she very nearly sounded as though she were crying.

"The...the Dark Lord won't be pleased with this bit of news." She said quietly, and then let out an ear-piercing scream. The four friends huddled together even tighter.

"What now?" Peter asked, after giving her a moment's silence to recover.

"We have to leave this place. Those brats must have escaped through a window, or something. But we can't stay here. They'll tell Dumbledore all about this place, and if we stay here, they'll send us to Azkaban, and I am _not_ going back there!" Bellatrix replied angrily. There was another moment of silence, and then what sounded like a _pop_. They waited some more, just to be safe, but when Hermione peeked her head over the top of the dresser, Bellatrix and Peter were nowhere to be seen. She exhaled slowly.

"I thought I recognized the sound. It's alright guys, they Apparated out of here." She said, breathing quickly. Harry and Ron both helped Leslie out from behind the dresser, and sat her up against a wall.

"Now what?" Ron asked, as he tried to act as though they had not just come within an inch of losing their lives.

"We'll have to summon our brooms and get out of here. Back to Hogwarts." Harry said. Hermione knelt down next to Leslie.

"Leslie?" She asked. Leslie heard her, but everything was fading quickly. Her whole body was weak, and the pain was too much. As she felt herself slipping from consciousness, she saw all three of her friends crowding around her. As blackness overcame her, she knew she was in good hands.


	22. Safe at Last

As consciousness returned to her slowly, the first thing Leslie became aware of was the cold breeze against her damp skin. It was still raining, she could feel the raindrops pelting against her skin. It felt good.

The other thing she realized was that she was on a broomstick, and was high above the ground, flying through the air. Then she realized she was leaning against someone, and an arm was around her middle, supporting her.

"Harry, are you _sure_ you've got her, mate? I still think you're gonna drop her." Leslie heard Ron's voice echo through the night sky.

"Yes, Ron, I've got her. God, I wouldn't drop her. Besides, we're nearly there." Harry's voice was right behind her, his head was right behind hers, _he_ was right behind her, holding her close, supporting her and protecting her. Leslie felt so weak from the pain the Cruciatus Curse had left her with, but as she rested up against Harry's body, she felt strong, she felt safe. Everything was going to be okay, Harry was with her.

She felt so dizzy, as though she were going to lose consciousness again, but she forced herself to stay conscious. All she wanted to do was turn around and see him, see Harry, prove it was really happening, and not just a dream of some sort. Harry had come to save her life. Harry was willing to sacrifice his own life just so Bellatrix would stop the Curse on Leslie. Her friends had come for her, _all three_ of them.

As she saw Hogwarts coming into focus in the near distance, she became aware of Harry's arm tightening around her waist. She smiled, in spite of herself, as she closed her eyes. Whatever was going to happen, she knew she would be safe. She was surrounded by her three best friends, and they were back at Hogwarts. She was in good hands.

When she felt her feet touch the ground, she knew they had landed outside of the gates of Hogwarts, and she immediately became aware of faint voices coming closer. Leslie felt Harry's arm around her, steadying her as the voices got closer. Leslie forced her eyes open and saw Madame Pomfrey, Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall running toward the four children.

"Leslie!" McGonagall shouted out as she grabbed a hold of Leslie, surprised when the girl nearly collapsed against her. "Leslie, what's wrong?" Leslie couldn't talk though, she could barely hear them. Whizbees, but her head was spinning. She could hardly keep her eyes open, as she swayed back and forth on the spot. McGonagall had to support the girl as she frantically looked up at Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"What has happened? What is wrong with my gra-, my student?" She yelled out, shaking her head at the near-slip up.

Hermione looked over at the boys, who couldn't take their eyes off of Leslie. Nobody had ever seen her this way before. Harry was beginning to wonder if she was really going to be okay.

"Professor, she's been hit with...with the Cruciatus Curse." Hermione said quietly. Professor McGonagall let out a small gasp as she stared at the girl in her arms. Professor Lupin immediately jumped in and took a hold of Leslie, lifting her up into his arms.

"We'll get her straight to the hospital wing, then. Madame Pomfrey will help her!" He said, as Madame Pomfrey nodded with wide eyes. The two ran off with Leslie into the castle, as Hermione, Ron and Harry stayed outside with Professor McGonagall, who turned to them abruptly.

"What has happened? Where have you all been? How did my granddaughter get cursed with...with the _Cruciatus_ Curse?" She asked, her voice trembling. Nothing like this had happened at Hogwarts before, and Hermione could only imagine how hard this was for Professor McGonagall. This _was _her granddaughter, after all.

"Professor, we don't know everything, but Leslie went to the Isle of the Black Fog." Hermione said.

"Why? Why in Heavens name would she go there?" Professor McGonagall squeaked with raised eyebrows. She held her hand over her heart.

"We don't know, but...but Bellatrix Lestrange was there. She sent us a note at the school, telling us they had Leslie. So...we went to get her." Hermione explained.

"By yourselves? Heavens, why didn't you tell Dumbledore? Why didn't you tell _me?_" McGonagall yelled.

"There wasn't time! Leslie was in trouble! We _had _to go!" Harry yelled back. Before McGonagall could lecture Harry on his tone of voice, Hermione continued.

"It was all a trap, though. We're lucky we got out when we did, but Lestrange...she still cursed Leslie. For...for a long time. She just...wouldn't stop." She bit her lip to keep from crying. The images were still fresh in her mind of Leslie recoiling in terror and pain. It was all too much. She knew the boys were feeling the same way.

McGonagall let out a sigh, and motioned the three kids inside. She told them to head straight to bed, which Harry, Ron and Hermione tried to argue against passionately, but in the end, McGonagall would not let them go to the hospital wing at this late of an hour, and they could see Leslie in the morning.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sulked all the way up to the Gryffindor Common Room, thinking of Leslie, and how close they had all been to death.

"Again. Do you think we'll ever get through a year without having a bloody near-death experience?" Ron asked, as he rubbed his temples slightly. Harry breathed out.

"I don't know." He said, his mind wandering back to Leslie, and if she would be alright.

"We should be grateful to be alive." Hermione paused. "I just hope Leslie will be alright. She hasn't said anything since she's been hit with the curse."

"She'll be fine. She's _gotta_ be fine!" Harry said as he shook his head.

None of them slept a wink that night.

* * *

Leslie, on the other hand, slept straight through the rest of the night, and right through the morning. She hardly remembered what happened only hours ago, when Lupin whisked her up to the hospital wing, with Madame Pomfrey hot on his tail. She remembered them talking in rushed, panicked voices, as Lupin lowered her onto one of the hospital beds in the wing. It wasn't long before she felt a hot liquid going down her throat. She very nearly choked it back up, it tasted awful, but Madame Pomfrey told her to swallow it all. It would take the pain away and help her sleep.

She had fallen asleep almost instantly, and her sleep was restful for the first time since the nightmares had started. There were no voices, no black fog, no darkness, and no fear. Just sleep, peaceful sleep.

When she felt herself coming out of sleep, she heard voices. She recognized them immediately, and when she opened her eyes to see Professor McGonagall and Hermione talking to each other, she wasn't surprised.

Leslie noticed her arms and legs felt stronger, and there was no more pain. She tried not to think about the excruciating pain the Cruciatus Curse had caused her. Whizbees, she wished that potion Madame Pomfrey made her drink would modify her memory as well. She pushed the thought away as she forced herself to sit up in bed. Both McGonagall and Leslie turned to her immediately.

"Leslie!" Hermione shouted as she threw her arms around Leslie tightly. Leslie felt the wind get knocked out of her as she hugged Hermione back. She looked over Hermione's shoulder and saw her grandmother staring at her with a sense of relief written all over her face. Leslie couldn't help but feel disappointed. Ron and Harry weren't here. She felt her heart sink. She had hoped that, since Harry had come to rescue her, he would no longer be mad at her. _But he must be._ She felt tears in her eyes. _Why else wouldn't he be here?_

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, as she let go of Leslie. Leslie nodded.

"Yeah, fine." She said. "Hey, Hermione, um, have you...have you talked to Harry, at all?" Hermione nodded.

"They're in class. They wanted to come, but..." Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall, who jumped in.

"I will not allow three students to miss class to visit a friend in the hospital wing. I told the three of them that only one of them could be dismissed from class to see you." She explained. Hermione smiled mischievously.

"I won. They weren't very happy about it, but after all, I told them you were my best friend, and they haven't been around much lately." She added. Leslie had to laugh a little.

"Hermione Granger." She said. "You're seriously missing class because of me?" Hermione giggled.

"I do not mean to break up this conversation, but Leslie, I must know exactly what happened last night. Heavens, I had a feeling something wasn't right, I could just feel it in my bones. When I went up to the Common Room, I found this." McGonagall pulled out a photograph of Leslie, tied to a chair in the shack on the Isle of the Black Fog. Leslie shuddered. She didn't recognize the picture, but she knew it must have been the one that Pettigrew sent to Harry. Leslie sighed.

"Well, by the time I found the photo, and rounded up Professor Lupin, we saw the three broomsticks coming back to the school. You weren't doing so well, Leslie." McGonagall explained. Leslie sighed, hating what this had done to her grandmother. Honestly, she thought to herself, if she hadn't let herself give into her fears like that, this never would have happened.

"I went to the Isle of the Black Fog. Someone...told me to. I was told if I went, she would fix everything with Harry, and, and with my Boggart, and, and passing Transfiguration. She told me if I didn't go to her, I would...lose everything." Leslie paused, feeling tears stinging her eyes. "Something told me I could trust her. So I suppose I went. I don't remember flying there, I don't remember anything until I saw _her._ Bellatrix Lestrange." Leslie felt her skin forming goosebumps as she remembered the shrill laughter, and the pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse.

Professor McGonagall didn't say anything for a long time, and Hermione looked terribly uncomfortable before she finally spoke up.

"Professor, it wasn't Leslie's fault. She was under the _Alucinor_ charm. Bellatrix told us all about it. She jinxed her, and lured her to the Isle." She said, trying to defend Leslie. Leslie swallowed hard, staring at her grandmother.

"I'm sorry, professor." She said quietly, as she looked down at her folded hands.

"Do not be silly, Leslie. It is hardly your fault. The _Alucinor_ charm is very hypnotic. It feeds into your fears. Leslie, you've told me what your Boggart is. Bellatrix Lestrange was very clever to use the _Alucinor_ charm. It fed into your fears. It was not your fault." McGonagall replied. Leslie shook her head.

"Yes, but if only I had been able to face my stupid Boggart, none of this would have happened." She said. McGonagall laughed a little.

"Leslie, you have much to learn. What happened very likely would still have happened, even if you _had _faced your Boggart. You see, Leslie, facing one's fears does not guarantee that one's fears will disappear. Oh dear, no. Witches and wizards alike who have faced their Boggarts are still quite afraid of their fear. The difference is whether or not one can stand up to their fear. It is renouncing its power over you that makes the difference." She explained. Leslie sighed, unsure how she felt about it all, but she knew one thing for sure; she trusted her grandmother with her life. She knew what she must be saying was truth.

"You said Bellatrix Lestrange was there on the Isle of the Black Fog. Was there anyone else, Leslie?" McGonagall asked. That was when Leslie remembered everything that had happened, everything she had learned, everything she had tried to make sense of.

"Pettigrew! Peter Pettigrew is alive! He was Scabbers, Ron's rat. An _animagus_! He told me everything! Sirius Black is innocent! Pettigrew framed him!" Leslie shouted out, wishing Harry were here to hear the truth. This whole thing had caused the two friends to fight in the first place, and Leslie wanted nothing more than to set things straight for Harry. He had been so angry, but now the man who was his godfather was innocent. She would have to tell him everything later.

"That's right, Pettigrew is supposed to be dead!" Hermione added, cluing in to its importance. There had been no time to process this information earlier, when they were an inch from death. Now, it was all making sense.

"Leslie, are you sure it was Peter Pettigrew?" McGonagall asked, also realizing the importance of this information. Leslie nodded madly.

"Yes, I'm sure! I saw Scabbers, and I saw him transfigure into Peter Pettigrew. He told me everything. He told me that Sirius wasn't the one to sell James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. Pettigrew did, and then he killed all those Muggles, and transfigured himself into a rat, and left Sirius to take the blame for it all. Sirius has been in Azkaban for twelve years, and he's innocent!" She exclaimed angrily. The injustice of it all was unfair, and now Pettigrew had gotten away once again.

Professor McGonagall seemed to be processing what this all meant, and finally she stood.

"Professor Dumbledore will want to hear of this." She said sternly, and headed for the door, turning back once again to look at her granddaughter, before she left. Leslie exhaled, leaning against the headboard roughly.

"Whizbees!" She said quietly. She turned to Hermione. "I've been wanting to ask you, Hermione. How in the _world_ were you able to convince Ron and Harry to come with you last night? I mean, we were all fighting. Why did they come?"

Hermione looked up and shook her head.

"Honestly Leslie, they're your _friends!_ I don't think it mattered how angry they were at us. You were in danger. They never thought twice about helping you." She said as she rolled her eyes with a grin. Leslie smiled, sighing happily. She remembered Harry's arm around her waist, holding her close. Everything was going to be okay now. She just knew it.

Still, she sighed.

"I can't believe I let myself get sucked into a stupid spell. I mean, honestly, now that I think about it, how could I have thought a voice I was hearing in my dreams was real? I'm so stupid!" She exclaimed. Hermione shot her a glare.

"Leslie, don't be dumb. You were charmed, it wasn't your fault." Still, Hermione stared at her with a bit of a grin. "But seriously, next time, you _could_ tell me you're having nightmares. You don't have to deal with everything on your own, you know."

Leslie smiled to herself, thinking of Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Granger. She finally nodded.

"Yeah, alright," She replied. "You're right. As usual."


	23. At the Black Lake

Leslie found herself skipping down the hallway later that day, against the stern instructions of her grandmother to take it easy. She couldn't help herself, she felt fine. Whatever potion Madame Pomfrey had given her had taken away all the stiffness and pain in her joints and muscles. Aside from the memories, she was as good as new.

What an eventful morning it had been, Leslie thought to herself with a huge grin. It hadn't been long after Professor McGonagall left the two girls alone that she returned with Professor Dumbledore, who was carrying a vile with him. Leslie was told to repeat to Professor Dumbledore what she had said to McGonagall about Pettigrew. Dumbledore listened with attentive ears to the child, as she told him all about Scabbers, and the Isle of the Black Fog, and Pettigrew telling her all about how he had framed Sirius Black.

When Leslie had finished, Dumbledore hadn't said a word, and she began to wonder if he even believed her. Honestly, being a child sometimes...

But instead, he nodded with a grin.

"That is wonderful news, my dear. It never did feel quite right having Sirius sent to Azkaban like that. He was always a pleasant boy, not the murdering type." He explained. Leslie swallowed.

"So, you believe me?" She asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"I believe I do." He paused a moment. "I must ask you, did Ms. Granger and the boys hear this as well?"

"Yes, we all did." Hermione replied, remembering the initial shock she had felt when Peter Pettigrew had emerged from the shadows.

Dumbledore simply nodded as he pulled out the vile, and his wand. "Now, Leslie, I want you to close your eyes, and remember it all clearly. I want you to remember the room you were in, and what you saw when Pettigrew transfigured himself into a human being. I want you to remember the exact words he said to you, and I want you to remember it all as clearly as you can." Leslie puckered her brow, but after a glance at Hermione, who nodded, Leslie closed her eyes.

Leslie remembered the dark shack, and the tight ropes around her arms and middle. She remembered Bellatrix's shrill laughter, and the rat, who scurried across the floor. Scabbers, Leslie knew in a heartbeat. She remembered the tail disappearing, the paws becoming hands, and the whole shape growing in size until a man with matted hair, and a dirty face was standing in front of her. With a mischievous grin, and bow, he had introduced himself, and Leslie remembered, word for word, everything Pettigrew had confessed to.

"That should do it, Leslie, thank you." She snapped out of her memories at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Leslie opened her eyes, and stared at the thin vaporous stream that was following Dumbledore's wand, and into the vile. Leslie stared at it, before looking to Hermione for an explanation.

"Professor Dumbledore extracted your memory." She explained. Leslie was still confused, as she stared at her headmaster, who placed a cork in the vile. He turned to Hermione and asked her to do the same.

"Leslie, your memories are very valuable right now, and will likely clear the man who has been framed and subjected to life in Azkaban for twelve years. I shall bring your memories, as well as Mr. Potter's and Mr. Weasley's to the Ministry of Magic, as proof that Pettigrew is still alive, and as a confession of his crimes. Suffice it to say, the voice of a child is often looked down upon, but even the Ministry of Magic can't deny the memories of four solid witnesses. Even though Pettigrew still runs free, Sirius Black will be cleared, and freed from Azkaban." Dumbledore explained with a wink.

Leslie thought her heart would explode from happiness. Sirius Black would be free. Harry's dad's best friend would be _free_ from Azkaban. Harry's _godfather!_ Leslie could have laughed out loud.

It had only taken an hour for Dumbledore to Apparate to the Ministry of Magic, present Leslie's memory, and contact Azkaban to inform the Dementers to release Sirius Black. He was a free man.

Now, as Leslie skipped down the hall, she couldn't wait to see Harry, to see how he was feeling about all of this. No doubt Professor Dumbledore had told Harry all about it. More importantly than that, though, Leslie missed Harry, missed having him as a friend, and she couldn't wait to see him.

Leslie skipped past Professor Wizzie's office, and peered in to see Wizzie sitting at her desk, doing nothing in particular. Leslie remembered what Lestrange had told her about modifying Professor Wizzie's memory, shoving her in a closet while Bellatrix used Polyjuice Potion to resume Wizzie's place for an afternoon. It had caused a rift between Wizzie and Snape, who believed Wizzie was once again taken with Lupin, because Bellatrix had flirted with Lupin while disguised as Lupin. Snape hadn't believed a word she said, but Leslie knew she had to make it right. Even though she despised Snape with a passionate loathing, she liked Wizzie, and hated to see her sad.

Leslie walked into Wizzie's office and waited until Wizzie looked up from her desk, with a bit of a smile.

"Oh Leslie, it's good to see you up and about. I heard what happened to you, I'm terribly sorry. Are you alright?" Wizzie asked. Leslie nodded.

"Yes, professor, I'm fine, thank you." She paused. "Erm, professor? There's something you need to know." Wizzie stared at her with puckered eyebrows.

"What is it Leslie?" She wanted to know. Leslie sighed, with a bit of a smile on her face.

"Well, you aren't losing your mind. Remember when you thought you had the _Oblivion Flu_ because you couldn't remember, erm, talking with Professor Lupin? Well, it wasn't the flu. You've been sane all this time." She explained. Professor Wizzie breathed out and shook her head.

"Leslie, dear, I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about." She admitted. Leslie smiled and turned toward the door, in a rush to see Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore will tell you the whole story, Professor." Leslie paused. "But I have a feeling you'll be able to sort things out with Sna- Professor Snape."

Leslie left the room, shuddering to herself. No matter how much she tried to understand, she couldn't figure out what Wizzie could _possibly_ see in Professor Snape. Either way, she felt a bit better, and was sure she even saw a smile cross Wizzie's face as she left.

* * *

Leslie was grateful to be outside. She had gone up to the Gryffindor Common room to find Harry, but he was nowhere to be found. Neither Ron or Hermione had seen him. Leslie guessed he was still talking to Dumbledore. She would have to talk to him later.

The rain had stopped, and the cold wind from the night before had died down to a warm, gentle breeze. She hardly needed her cloak, but she knew if McGonagall caught her without it, she would be in for it then.

Leslie walked down through the ruins, past Hagrid's house, who waved hello, around the courtyard and out to the Black Lake, where she saw him.

Harry.

He was sitting by himself on the edge of the lake, sitting in the wet grass, staring out at the Black Lake. Leslie wasn't sure if she should approach him or not. She couldn't tell if he had gone out there to be alone, or not. Not to mention, memories of him yelling at her, and being mad at her came back quickly. If she approached him, would he snap at her? Leslie couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't. Not after last night.

Still, she approached him slowly, just to be sure. It wasn't long before Harry noticed the shadow behind him, blocking the sunlight. He turned slightly, and looked up, squinting from the sunlight to see Leslie standing beside him. Leslie offered a small smile.

"Hey." She said quietly. Harry smiled back, just a hint of a smile, but still a smile.

"Hey." He replied. Leslie took that as a cue, and allowed herself to sit down next to Harry. They sat in silence for a long time, and Leslie picked at the grass, not even knowing what to say. She thought it would be easy to start a conversation with Harry, but after months of not talking to each other, there was still an air of tension between the two, and Leslie didn't know how to break that. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"Er, Harry?" She asked in a low voice. Harry turned his head, but never looked right at her.

"Yeah?" He asked. Leslie swallowed before she asked her question.

"Why'd...why'd you come for me? Why did you come to rescue me? I mean...I thought you were mad at me." She pointed out, never looking Harry in the eye. She wasn't expecting herself to ask that question, but there it was, out in the open.

Harry didn't answer right away, but he let out a deep sigh before he spoke.

"I know I was, but...when Hermione came to tell Ron and I what happened, I couldn't think about how angry I was. All I could think about was that you were in danger, and needed help. That was all that mattered, I didn't care that I was mad at you. I couldn't just leave you there." He said, still staring at the ground. Leslie stared at him for a long time, feeling tears clouding her vision. It meant the world to Leslie to hear Harry say that. She smiled to herself.

"You...you saved my life, Harry." She said quietly. Harry finally looked up, and the two made eye contact for the first time in months. Harry didn't say anything for a few seconds, and just stared at her. Finally, he only shrugged.

"It was nothing." He said, as his cheeks went a little pink. Leslie shook her head.

"It wasn't nothing, Harry. Whizbees, you were ready to give yourself over to Voldemort, just so Bellatrix would stop....well, you know." She said, shivering to herself as she remembered the Cruciatus Curse. Whizbees, she wondered if she would _ever_ forget about that.

Harry sighed again.

"Leslie...you're one of my best friends. What was I supposed to do? Let you die? Let her torture you? Nah, it's not my style." He replied, with a bit of a smile. Leslie smiled too, then laughed at him. Harry laughed too.

Silence followed again, as the two friends stared out at the lake, seeing a large tentacle arise from the water for a moment, before submerging again. Neither Leslie or Harry were fazed by it.

"Leslie?" Harry said after a moment. Leslie turned.

"Yeah?" She asked. Harry paused.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said to you, about you being a rotten Quidditch player, or a drunk, or any of that. I didn't mean any of it, you know. I was just a foul git!" He sighed. "If I had only listened to you. You believed Lupin when he said he believed Sirius to be innocent. And you were right. I should have believed it too. I should have at least _tried_ to accept the fact for only a second, instead of going off on everyone. Then maybe my anger wouldn't have got the better of me. I'm really sorry, Leslie." Harry apologized with more sincerity than she had hoped for. All these months, Leslie had tried to imagine what Harry's apology would be like, if he ever apologized at all. In her mind, she imagined Harry to simply say sorry, and for Leslie, that would have sufficed, but this was even better. Oddly, she didn't feel a sense of accomplishment, like she thought she would. For months, she had been going on about how Harry _had_ to apologize, and been adamantly stubborn about not apologizing herself, because she had done nothing wrong, but now that Harry was actually apologizing, all of that went away. She smiled at him.

"Harry, it's alright." She paused. "I'm sorry too. I just couldn't understand why you were so angry about Sirius, and why you wouldn't listen to Lupin. I think I understand now. I'm sorry I said those nasty things to you too. About the Sorting Hat. I don't think you should be in Slytherin." She blushed a little, feeling foolish for ever having said that. Whizbees, anger made you say some stupid things.

Harry smiled and nodded his head. He was silent for another period of time before he spoke again, with the most serious voice she had ever heard from him.

"Leslie, the whole reason they went after you was because of me." He said after a moment. Leslie turned and stared at him.

"What do you mean?" She wanted to know.

"You were bait. They lured you to the Isle of the Black Fog to get me to come after you. They wanted you because they wanted to hand me over to Voldemort." Harry explained. Leslie puckered her brow.

"So? What's your point?" She had a feeling she knew where he was going with this, and it was making her angry inside. Harry sighed.

"Is it...is it really worth it, to be my friend?" He asked, pausing a little to pick at the grass. "Voldemort isn't going to give up on me. He's been trying to kill me since he killed my parents. He's only going to keep trying until he gets me, and he'll use what I care about the most to get to me." Leslie felt herself growing pink. _What he cares about the most..._ She cleared her throat.

"Let him." She smiled, putting her hand over Harry's, without thinking. She ignored Harry staring down at the hands. "We're all in this together now, mate. I'm not going anywhere." Harry smiled, as he looked back up at Leslie.

"Neither am I." He replied, his eyes never leaving Leslie's. As she looked at him, she realized he had meant it. And she realized she had meant it too. Harry truly was one of her best friends, and that was never going to change. Whether or not they fought again would not tear it apart, Leslie was sure of that as she stared into his eyes. Leslie knew, in that moment, that she would confront Voldemort _alone_ if it meant Harry's safety. She wouldn't leave his side, not now, not ever. And in that moment, Leslie knew Harry wouldn't leave hers either.

"Hey guys, there you are." The silence was broken by Ron's loud voice, and as Leslie and Harry turned quickly, Leslie pulling her hand away from Harry's, they saw Ron and Hermione running down the bank toward the lake. Leslie smiled.

"Hey." Leslie and Harry greeted together, as Ron and Hermione found spots on the wet grass. Ron let out a loud groan as he stretched himself out.

"Bloody hell, you'd think we all had death wishes, or something!" He exclaimed, as he punched the ground. Leslie giggled. Ron was right, after all.

"Well, don't they say bad things come in threes? Or something like that? Maybe next year, we'll be off the hook." Harry replied. Ron scoffed.

"Yeah, I wouldn't count on it, Harry. I think we just have some kind of magnetic force that draws danger to us." He said.

"Oh come on, Ron. It's not so bad. It keeps things interesting." Harry said with a laugh.

"Interesting is hardly the word for it." Hermione said, but she was smiling. Leslie sighed.

"But two more Death Eaters have gone free. First, Malfoy's father, and now Pettigrew and Lestrange. How long before they all band together and help Voldemort gain power?" She asked.

"Would you _quit_ saying his name?" Ron shivered.

"Sorry." Leslie replied, rolling her eyes. She still couldn't understand why people feared the name so much. It _was_ just a name.

"Leslie's got a point, though. If they aren't caught, sooner or later those Death Eaters will try again. They've already proven themselves loyal to You-Know-Who, who's to say they won't round up more, and do something else?" Hermione asked. Leslie nodded.

"Look at all the damage they've already caused. Tenille got sent to Beaubaxtons because she couldn't face the fact that people here could find out about her being under the Imperius Curse. Ron was nearly killed in first year." She explained.

"You got hit with the Cruciatus Curse." Ron pointed out.

"And Sirius Black was thrown in Azkaban for twelve years for a crime he didn't commit." Leslie added, ignoring Ron's additional comment.

"Hey yeah, Sirius Black!" Ron shouted, staring at Harry. "Did Dumbledore tell you, mate?" Harry nodded.

"Yeah, he told me." He replied, quietly. Leslie felt for him. She couldn't imagine what sorts of thoughts were going through his head. The man he believed to be the murderer of his parents was now free from Azkaban, and legally his godfather. No doubt he was wondering what sorts of things this would mean.

As though someone had read their minds, a tawny gray barn owl circled the four friends and landed in the middle of them, holding a brown envelope in its beak. The owl hopped toward Harry, and dropped the envelope in his lap. Harry smiled.

"Thanks." He said to the owl, who didn't leave right away. "Er, sorry, I've got no food for you." The owl screeched angrily. "Well, in my defense, I'm out by the lake, what d'you expect?" The friends laughed as the owl flew away in obvious irritation.

"What is it Harry?" Leslie asked, as she peered over Harry's shoulder at the envelope. It read:

Harry Potter

The Black Lake

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Whizbees, I'll never understand how owls just _know_ where we are." Leslie muttered as Harry ripped open the letter, and read it out loud to his friends.

_Harry,_

_No doubt you've heard of me, and under the circumstances, I am sure you have heard about me in unfair lies and mistakes told by the Ministry, who, up until recently, believed me guilty of a crime I did not, nor could ever imagine committing. James was my very best friend, and Lily was just as kind to me. I miss them terribly, and was devastated to be framed. _

_I shall have to thank your dear friend Leslie in person one day, I suppose. It was her memory that freed me from Azkaban, and I must say, it has never felt so good to be free. _

_I don't doubt this is difficult for you. After all, you believed I murdered your parents. I don't exactly expect you to warm up to me, but I would very much like to meet you some day. In your time, Harry. Professor Dumbledore told me you already know I'm your godfather. I suppose that's a strange concept to grasp as well. _

_Just know, Harry, that I am out here, waiting for your letter, hoping to meet James' and Lily's_ _only son. Thank Leslie for me, would you? _

_Take care Harry,_

_Sirius Black _

Harry was silent for a long time after reading the letter, and the three friends didn't say a word. They just waited, as Harry stared at the piece of parchment. Finally, Leslie cleared her throat.

"Are you going to write back, Harry?" She asked. Harry sighed, as he folded up the parchment.

"Yeah, I am." He paused, looking her straight in the eye. "Just not yet." Leslie nodded, respecting him and understanding why he wanted to wait. As he put the parchment in his pocket, the four friends sat in silence, watching the tentacles creep out of the Black Lake, and Leslie couldn't help but smile to herself. They were all back together again. With a newfound confidence that they weren't going anywhere, she enjoyed watching the Giant Squid play in his lake.


	24. The Worst of Times, the Best of Times

Leslie stared out of her dormitory window, exhaling loudly. She felt awful, absolutely awful. In less than two hours, she and her three friends would be on the Hogwarts Express, on their way back home for the summer. Leslie couldn't believe how quickly the last two months had gone by. She had improved remarkably in Transfiguration, finally crawling her way up to the third year material, and understanding it. Leslie had even begun to _enjoy_ it, but she would never tell her grandmother that.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team had won the Quidditch Cup during their final game against Slytherin. It had been very close, but the Gryffindor team had worked together to successfully win the game by 30 points.

Even though Ravenclaw won the House Cup for the year, it didn't matter. Gryffindor had the Quidditch Cup, and it rested in the trophy case in the Gryffindor Common Room, shining brightly. Leslie couldn't have been more proud.

Whizbees, even her examinations had gone well. As she reflected upon the last two months, Leslie knew she shouldn't be feeling sad on her last day at Hogwarts, but she was right miserable. Yes, she was looking forward to having the whole summer to play Quidditch and practice her flying, but there was so much racing through her mind.

First, she was quite disappointed she would be saying goodbye to her grandmother again for the summer. After spending countless hours with her learning the art of Transfiguration, the two had grown quite close. Yes, Leslie had missed her grandmother the past two summers, but they had just been getting to know each other then. Now, Leslie felt she really knew her grandmother. It hurt to imagine an entire summer without seeing her.

Then there was the serious matter that she had failed Defence Against the Dark Arts. It didn't matter that she scored 99% on the final exam, it didn't matter that she was the second highest in her class (Hermione was the first), none of that mattered, because Leslie had not faced her Boggart.

Leslie sighed, as she stared out the window. _Whizbees, I'm a failure._ She told herself, over and over again. She had never failed a class before, and had been heartbroken when McGonagall told her at the beginning of the year that she had come close to failing second year Transfiguration. Leslie was so angry with herself. _I'm so stupid. How could I let myself be that afraid of something that's not even real?_

Feeling rather broody, Leslie pulled herself away from the window and headed out of the Gryffindor common room. Her trunk was already out in the carriages, and it was nearly time to meet her friends outside and head for the train station.

She walked down the corridors, unable to believe how quickly this year had gone by. She couldn't believe she had already lived at Hogwarts for _three _years. It seemed like only yesterday she was a young 11-year-old girl who just learned she was a witch, and left what was her home forever. So much had changed since then.

As Leslie walked past her Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, she peeked in and saw Professor Lupin. Sighing, Leslie walked inside. She wasn't sure what she would say to her professor, but she felt she should say something. She was, after all, the only one in her class who hadn't faced her Boggart. She would have to take third year Defence with Lupin all over again.

But she was quickly distracted when she realized what Lupin was doing. He was _packing._ Leslie puckered her brow as she approached him slowly. He turned and acknowledged her.

"Good morning, Leslie. Beautiful day for a train ride, isn't it?" Lupin asked, seemingly distracted by packing up his things. Leslie shook her head.

"What are you doing, Professor?" She asked simply. "That's quite a lot of packing for a two-month holiday." Lupin turned and looked at her, stopping for a moment to take her seriously. He let out a sigh.

"Oh Leslie, I'm sorry to say I am resigning from my post as your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor." He explained. Leslie's eyes widened unconsciously and she shook her head.

"Why?" She asked. Whizbees, this would be their _third_ Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who stepped down in three years.

"Well Leslie, it's very complicated." Lupin replied. "I simply do not want to get in the way." Leslie stared at him, feeling very confused, as Lupin seemed to be reflecting on something. He finally looked back at Leslie with a bit of a sad smile.

"Suffice it to say, old love can be tricky sometimes." He added. Leslie finally understood, and she shook her head.

"This is about Wizzie, isn't it?" She asked.

"_Professor_ Wizzie, Leslie." Lupin said with a raised eyebrow.

"You're leaving because you still have feelings for her?" Leslie asked. Professor Lupin sighed and turned back to his packing.

"I cannot deny those feelings, Leslie, and it is the right thing to do to step away from that." He shook his head. "Of course, it doesn't help that old Severus threatened to reveal an old secret of mine if I didn't stay away from Daisy." Leslie puckered her brow.

"Sounds like something he'd do." She rolled her eyes. "What secret?" Lupin began to laugh as he looked at Leslie with twinkling eyes.

"Well my dear, if I told you that, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?" He asked with a wink. Leslie shrugged.

"No I suppose it wouldn't be." She replied. There was silence for a moment as Leslie stood staring at the ground. Lupin noticed the downcast face.

"Leslie, you seem upset about something. Would you care to talk about it?" He asked. Leslie looked up, shrugging casually, forcing herself to pretend like she didn't care.

"Well, sir, I've failed Defence Against the Dark Arts." She said bluntly. Lupin stared at her and began to grin.

"Well Leslie, it is not too late, you know. You still have a few moments before you're due on those carriages." He stepped forward seriously. "Care to give it another try?"

Leslie swallowed as her body began to tremble, the familiar sick feeling she got every time she thought about that stupid Boggart.

"But sir, the exam results have already been sent out." She said. Who was she trying to convince?

"You know Leslie, as a professor, I _can _pull some strings. And I still have the wardrobe here, you know. The Boggart is there waiting for you. Would you like to give it one last shot?" Lupin asked.

Leslie very nearly said no, but she was immediately flooded with strong memories of Harry dropping his wand to stop Bellatrix from cursing her, of her grandmother's worried face when they came back from the Isle of the Black Fog, of Hermione, Ron and Harry all laughing together at the Black Lake, and of all the wonderful times they had had together over the past three years. They all loved her, and cared about her deeply. They weren't going anywhere, nothing could take this away from her. She had learned that, now she just had to believe it.

Leslie sighed.

"Alright." She said, feeling her voice trembling. "Let's do it."

Lupin smiled as he led the way to the wardrobe, while Leslie pulled her wand out with a shaking hand. But she remembered what her grandmother had said. _The difference is whether or not one can stand up to their fear. It is renouncing its power over you that makes the difference_.

"Are you ready, Leslie?" Lupin asked quietly. Leslie was silent, staring at the wardrobe, holding her wand up. She knew who was in there. She knew her parents would step out and say all those horrible things. Whizbees, she didn't want to see them. She didn't want to _hear_ them. It was painful, it was frightening. Leslie's heart was hammering against her chest. _It's not real. It's not real. It's just a fear. It can't happen. McGonagall wouldn't let it. Harry wouldn't let it._

"Yes, professor." Leslie's voice shook.

"Do you remember the spell?" Lupin asked.

"Yes I remember it." Leslie replied. Truth be told, she had said the spell over and over again in her mind, imagining herself many times facing her Boggart and facing her fears. She could recite the spell in her sleep.

"Very well, Leslie. You tell me when you're ready." Lupin's voice was gentle, calm. He understood how hard this was for Leslie, and his support gave Leslie that extra bit of strength she needed. Keeping Harry in her mind, Hermione and Ron, and her grandmother, she finally nodded her head.

"I'm ready." She held her wand up. "Open it."

Lupin gave a nod and opened up the wardrobe. Nothing happened at first, but Leslie held her ground. Then she saw them.

First her father, then her mother emerged from the wardrobe, stepping out into the classroom and stared at Leslie with cold, unsupporting eyes. Leslie stared at them, feeling herself frozen to the spot as they began to talk.

"Give us your wand, Leslie." Her father said in a serious tone.

"You shouldn't be here, Leslie, you were never _meant_ to be here. It's time to come home, you don't belong here." Her mother added.

"You're not a witch."

"This isn't your place."

"Ron hates you."

"Harry hates you."

"Hermione hates you."

"Your grandmother never wanted you."

"Everything they are telling you are lies."

Leslie began to feel sick as her hand began to shake. She took everything they said as a stab against her, and she felt tears blurring her vision as she stared at the image of her dead parents. She was lost in her thoughts, but Lupin's calm voice brought her back.

"Concentrate, Leslie." He said simply.

Leslie remembered Harry, and the first time she met him on the train, and then Ron and Hermione. She remembered the happy times, and the hard times, and how they had overcome them all together. They were what mattered now.

She felt herself growing stronger, less afraid, and she held up her wand with a newfound confidence.

"_Ridikulous_!"She said strongly and watched with amazement as her parents transformed into Harry, Ron and Hermione, all laughing with glee about something that didn't matter. Leslie stared in shock as she watched the scene in front of her. It worked. She had done it.

Lupin was laughing out loud as he used his wand to move the Boggart back into the wardrobe. Leslie just stared at the closed wardrobe.

"Well done Leslie, I knew you had it in you!" Lupin exclaimed as he patted Leslie's shoulder proudly. Leslie smiled to herself.

"I can't believe it. I had it in me all along. It was...easy." She said, feeling surprised. Lupin nodded his head and grew very serious.

"May I ask, Leslie, what made you change your mind?" He wanted to know.

Leslie stared at the wardrobe, and shrugged.

"I'm not sure." She stared at Lupin with a smile. "I suppose it's not something I need to be afraid of anymore."

Lupin smiled proudly and nodded approvingly.

"Well Leslie, you'd best be off. Your carriages will be leaving for Hogsmeade shortly. You don't want to miss the train." He said.

"No I suppose I don't." Leslie replied, and sighed. "I...I hope our paths cross again, Professor. I'm sorry to see you leave."

"Leslie, I'm very certain we will meet again. And for what it's worth, I've never been more proud of a student than I am right now." Leslie puckered her brow.

"Proud? Sir, it took me months to do this. I nearly didn't!" She said, disbelievingly. Lupin shook his head.

"Leslie, your fear was quite different than the others' fears. Their fears are rational, yes, but yours came from deep, _deep_ down inside of you, from feelings, from old scars. Those can often be the hardest fears to face. I have seen students in the past with deep fears such as yours who have never faced their Boggart, and were not able to complete their education at Hogwarts. _That_ is what I am proud of. Facing your Boggart is an important first step in facing those fears." He explained. Leslie nodded, understanding, but she exhaled slowly.

"I suppose I still don't quite understand the purpose of facing the Boggart." She paused. "I mean, what difference did it make?" Lupin smiled as he gave Leslie's shoulder a squeeze.

"It made all the difference in the world."

* * *

Leslie ran down the grand staircase and out the front doors of the castle, where the warm breeze lifted her mood even more. She spotted Ron, Hermione and Harry standing at the bottom of the front castle steps, and she sprinted toward them, nearly tripping down the stairs.

"There you are! The carriages are coming in now. I thought you'd never show up!" Ron exclaimed as Leslie joined her friends, feeling out of breath.

"Where were you anyway?" Hermione asked. Leslie smiled from ear to ear.

"I was with Professor Lupin." She replied.

"Hey, did you guys hear he's leaving?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I wonder what that's all about." Harry replied.

"I'll tell you all about it later, but guess what?" Leslie paused, but her friends weren't biting, so she went on. "I faced my Boggart, and I passed Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Hermione, Harry and Ron hooted their approval as they ran at Leslie with hugs and high fives.

"Leslie, that's wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yeah, way to go!" Ron added.

"I knew all along you could do it." Harry smiled. Leslie grinned back, as she exhaled a sigh of relief. "I just wish I had time to tell my...Professor McGonagall." She looked through the crowd of students to see if she could see her grandmother. McGonagall often would see her off, where was she?

"I suppose you'll have to send her an owl when we get back home." Hermione replied. Leslie sighed, as the carriages pulled up.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She said moodily, as Hermione jumped in the carriage. As Leslie was about to hop up herself, she heard the familiar voice of her grandmother calling after her. Leslie turned with a smile to see McGonagall doing her best to run up to the carriages. Leslie ran up to her grandmother, as McGonagall put her hands on Leslie's shoulders to steady herself, gasping for breath.

"I'm not as young as I used to be, you know." She managed to say between breaths. Leslie tried not to laugh.

"I had planned to come earlier, but Professor Lupin stopped me on my way." McGonagall managed a smile. "He told me what you've done. I'm quite proud of you, my dear. I knew you would manage it eventually." Leslie smiled, wanting nothing more than to throw her arms around McGonagall in a big hug, but there were too many students around. If it were Wizzie, everyone would be hugging her, but this was McGonagall. Anyone who hugged McGonagall would rouse suspicion. McGonagall was not one you hugged.

"Thank you professor." Leslie said quietly.

"You know, you have come quite a long way since you first arrived at Hogwarts three years ago. I'm very proud of how much you've changed." McGonagall added.

"Thank you, professor." Leslie paused, and lowered her voice a little. "Thank you for _everything." _

"My pleasure, Leslie, I expect you will have a good summer with the Grangers." McGonagall replied. Leslie sighed.

"What is troubling you?" McGonagall asked. Leslie looked up slowly.

"Nothing, it's just," She paused, "I just wish, you know, that I'd be able to see you more this summer. You know, the past two summers, I've only seen you on my birthday."

McGonagall was silent. The fact of the matter was that she knew her granddaughter was right. She had hardly made an effort to visit Leslie regularly. She put an apologetic hand on Leslie's shoulder.

"We will have to see if we can change that, won't we?" She asked. Leslie nodded slowly. McGonagall smiled, and lowered her voice.

"Oh, and Leslie, I know you aren't supposed to receive your final grades until mid-July, but I must admit, I've already marked your final examination. I daresay I was rather curious how you fared this year." She said in a quiet whisper. Leslie's eyes widened. Whizbees, she wasn't expecting this. She had thought she'd have more time to worry about that. She swallowed.

"And?" She asked quietly.

"You needn't be worried, Leslie. You have advanced beautifully. You did better than you think you did." McGonagall replied.

"You mean, I passed?" Leslie asked with a grin. McGonagall nodded.

"With flying colors."

"Come on Leslie, the carriages are leaving!" Harry called. Leslie sighed and looked up at her grandmother, waiting for her final remarks.

"Off you go then, behave yourself, and I will see you very soon." McGonagall patted Leslie's head, and turned toward the castle. Leslie smiled after her grandmother, and jumped up in the carriage, where her three friends were waiting for her. Leslie and her friends waved out the window to McGonagall, who waved back.

"I can't believe this year is already over." Ron pointed out, as the carriages headed toward the front gates.

"Thank goodness. With us all fighting, and You-Know-Who almost coming back, it was a rather terrible year." Hermione said as she nervously bit at a fingernail. Leslie sighed as she turned to her friends.

"It was a bad year, wasn't it?" She looked out the window, catching one last glimpse of Hogwarts before it disappeared into the distance. "But it's funny how the worst year can also turn out to be the best year."

* * *

**The End!**

_(A/N: Thank you all for faithfully following Leslie Perks thus far. This is not the end. I promised 7 years of Leslie fun, and am already working on the first chapter of the fourth Leslie Perks installment. The outline is done, and I hope you will all tune it for her fourth year of craziness. Just to give you a hint of what's coming:_

_-A new character (a professor)  
-LOTS of growing up  
-Changing relationships  
-An emotional roller coaster for Leslie. _

_That's a very, VERY limited synopsis of the fourth year, but the title is LESLIE PERKS AND THE LUSTRATIO'S MAGIC. What is the Lustratio's Magic you ask? Well you'll just have to find out when it comes out. Coming soon, probably within the week or so. Thank you all)._


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